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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Inside of the Cup, Complete + +Author: Winston Churchill + +Release Date: October 6, 2006 [EBook #5364] +Last Updated: February 26, 2018 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INSIDE OF THE CUP, COMPLETE *** + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + + <h1> + THE INSIDE OF THE CUP + </h1> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Winston Churchill + </h2> + <p> + <br /><br /> <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>THE INSIDE OF THE CUP</b> </a><br /><br /><br /> + <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <b>Volume 1.</b> </a> <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a> THE WARING PROBLEMS + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a> MR. + LANGMAID'S MISSION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a> THE + PRIMROSE PATH <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a> SOME + RIDDLES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY <br /><br /> + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> <b>Volume 2.</b> </a> + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a> THE + RECTOR HAS MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0006"> + CHAPTER VI. </a> "WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT?” <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. </a> THE KINGDOMS OF THE + WORLD <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. </a> THE + LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0012"> <b>Volume + 3.</b> </a> <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. + </a> THE DIVINE DISCONTENT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0010"> + CHAPTER X. </a> THE MESSENGER IN THE CHURCH <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a> THE LOST PARISHIONER + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a> THE + WOMAN OF THE SONG <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0017"> <b>Volume 4.</b> + </a> <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII. </a> WINTERBOURNE + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV. </a> A + SATURDAY AFTERNOON <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. </a> THE + CRUCIBLE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. </a> AMID + THE ENCIRCLING GLOOM <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0022"> <b>Volume 5.</b> + </a> <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII. </a> RECONSTRUCTION + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII. </a> THE + RIDDLE OF CAUSATION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX. + </a> MR. GOODRICH BECOMES A PARTISAN <br /><br /> + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0026"> <b>Volume 6.</b> </a> + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. </a> THE + ARRAIGNMENT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. </a> ALISON + GOES TO CHURCH <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII. </a> "WHICH + SAY TO THE SEERS, SEE NOT” <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0030"> <b>Volume + 7.</b> </a> <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER + XXIII. </a> THE CHOICE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0024"> + CHAPTER XXIV. </a> THE VESTRY MEETS <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV. </a> "RISE, CROWNED WITH + LIGHT!” <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI. </a> THE + CURRENT OF LIFE <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2H_4_0035"> <b>Volume 8.</b> </a> <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII. </a> RETRIBUTION <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER XXVIII. </a> LIGHT <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2H_4_0038"> AFTERWORD. </a> <br /><br /> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h1> + THE INSIDE OF THE CUP + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 1. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I. THE WARING PROBLEMS + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + With few exceptions, the incidents recorded in these pages take place in + one of the largest cities of the United States of America, and of that + portion called the Middle West,—a city once conservative and + provincial, and rather proud of these qualities; but now outgrown them, + and linked by lightning limited trains to other teeming centers of the + modern world: a city overtaken, in recent years, by the plague which has + swept our country from the Atlantic to the Pacific—Prosperity. + Before its advent, the Goodriches and Gores, the Warings, the Prestons and + the Atterburys lived leisurely lives in a sleepy quarter of shade trees + and spacious yards and muddy macadam streets, now passed away forever. + Existence was decorous, marriage an irrevocable step, wives were wives, + and the Authorized Version of the Bible was true from cover to cover. So + Dr. Gilman preached, and so they believed. + </p> + <p> + Sunday was then a day essentially different from other days—you + could tell it without looking at the calendar. The sun knew it, and + changed the quality of his light the very animals, dogs and cats and + horses, knew it: and most of all the children knew it, by Sunday school, + by Dr. Gilman's sermon, by a dizzy afternoon connected in some of their + minds with ceramics and a lack of exercise; by a cold tea, and by church + bells. You were not allowed to forget it for one instant. The city + suddenly became full of churches, as though they had magically been let + down from heaven during Saturday night. They must have been there on week + days, but few persons ever thought of them. + </p> + <p> + Among the many church bells that rang on those bygone Sundays was that of + St. John's, of which Dr. Gilman, of beloved memory, was rector. Dr. Gilman + was a saint, and if you had had the good luck to be baptized or married or + buried by him, you were probably fortunate in an earthly as well as + heavenly sense. One has to be careful not to deal exclusively in + superlatives, and yet it is not an exaggeration to say that St. John's was + the most beautiful and churchly edifice in the city, thanks chiefly to + several gentlemen of sense, and one gentleman, at least, of taste—Mr. + Horace Bentley. The vicissitudes of civil war interrupted its building; + but when, in 1868, it stood completed, its stone unsoiled as yet by + factory smoke, its spire delicately pointing to untainted skies, its rose + window glowing above the porch, citizens on Tower Street often stopped to + gaze at it diagonally across the vacant lot set in order by Mr. Thurston + Gore, with the intent that the view might be unobstructed. + </p> + <p> + Little did the Goodriches and Gores, the Warings and Prestons and + Atterburys and other prominent people foresee the havoc that prosperity + and smoke were to play with their residential plans! One by one, sooty + commerce drove them out, westward, conservative though they were, from the + paradise they had created; blacker and blacker grew the gothic facade of + St. John's; Thurston Gore departed, but leased his corner first for a + goodly sum, his ancestors being from Connecticut; leased also the vacant + lot he had beautified, where stores arose and hid the spire from Tower + Street. Cable cars moved serenely up the long hill where a panting third + horse had been necessary, cable cars resounded in Burton Street, between + the new factory and the church where Dr. Gilman still preached of peace + and the delights of the New-Jerusalem. And before you could draw your + breath, the cable cars had become electric. Gray hairs began to appear in + the heads of the people Dr. Gilman had married in the '60's and their + children were going East to College. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + In the first decade of the twentieth century, Asa, Waring still clung to + the imposing, early Victorian mansion in Hamilton Street. It presented an + uncompromising and rather scornful front to the sister mansions with which + it had hitherto been on intimate terms, now fast degenerating into a + shabby gentility, seeking covertly to catch the eye of boarders, but as + yet refraining from open solicitation. Their lawns were growing a little + ragged, their stone steps and copings revealing cracks. + </p> + <p> + Asa Waring looked with a stern distaste upon certain aspects of modern + life. And though he possessed the means to follow his friends and + erstwhile neighbours into the newer paradise five miles westward, he had + successfully resisted for several years a formidable campaign to uproot + him. His three married daughters lived in that clean and verdant district + surrounding the Park (spelled with a capital), while Evelyn and Rex spent + most of their time in the West End or at the Country Clubs. Even Mrs. + Waring, who resembled a Roman matron, with her wavy white hair parted in + the middle and her gentle yet classic features, sighed secretly at times + at the unyielding attitude of her husband, although admiring him for it. + The grandchildren drew her. + </p> + <p> + On the occasion of Sunday dinner, when they surrounded her, her heart was + filled to overflowing. + </p> + <p> + The autumn sunlight, reddened somewhat by the slight haze of smoke, poured + in at the high windows of the dining-room, glinted on the silver, and was + split into bewildering colors by the prisms of the chandelier. Many + precious extra leaves were inserted under the white cloth, and Mrs. + Waring's eyes were often dimmed with happiness as she glanced along the + ranks on either side until they rested on the man with whom she had chosen + to pass her life. Her admiration for him had gradually grown into + hero-worship. His anger, sometimes roused, had a terrible moral quality + that never failed to thrill her, and the Loyal Legion button on his black + frock coat seemed to her an epitome of his character. He sat for the most + part silent, his remarkable, penetrating eyes, lighting under his grizzled + brows, smiling at her, at the children, at the grandchildren. And + sometimes he would go to the corner table, where the four littlest sat, + and fetch one back to perch on his knee and pull at his white, military + mustache. + </p> + <p> + It was the children's day. Uproar greeted the huge white cylinder of + ice-cream borne by Katie, the senior of the elderly maids; uproar greeted + the cake; and finally there was a rush for the chocolates, little tablets + wrapped in tinfoil and tied with red and blue ribbon. After that, the + pandemonium left the dining-room, to spread itself over the spacious house + from the basement to the great playroom in the attic, where the dolls and + blocks and hobby-horses of the parental generation stoically awaited the + new. + </p> + <p> + Sometimes a visitor was admitted to this sacramental feat, the dearest old + gentleman in the world, with a great, high bridged nose, a slight stoop, a + kindling look, and snow white hair, though the top of his head was bald. + He sat on Mrs. Waring's right, and was treated with the greatest deference + by the elders, and with none at all by the children, who besieged him. The + bigger ones knew that he had had what is called a history; that he had + been rich once, with a great mansion of his own, but now he lived on + Dalton Street, almost in the slums, and worked among the poor. His name + was Mr. Bentley. + </p> + <p> + He was not there on the particular Sunday when this story opens, otherwise + the conversation about to be recorded would not have taken place. For St. + John's Church was not often mentioned in Mr. Bentley's presence. + </p> + <p> + “Well, grandmother,” said Phil Goodrich, who was the favourite son-in-law, + “how was the new rector to-day?” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder is a remarkable young man, Phil,” Mrs. Waring declared, “and + delivered such a good sermon. I couldn't help wishing that you and Rex and + Evelyn and George had been in church.” + </p> + <p> + “Phil couldn't go,” explained the unmarried and sunburned Evelyn, “he had + a match on of eighteen holes with me.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Waring sighed. + </p> + <p> + “I can't think what's got into the younger people these days that they + seem so indifferent to religion. Your father's a vestryman, Phil, and I + believe it has always been his hope that you would succeed him. I'm afraid + Rex won't succeed his father,” she added, with a touch of regret and a + glance of pride at her husband. “You never go to church, Rex. Phil does.” + </p> + <p> + “I got enough church at boarding-school to last me a lifetime, mother,” + her son replied. He was slightly older than Evelyn, and just out of + college. “Besides, any heathen can get on the vestry—it's a + financial board, and they're due to put Phil on some day. They're always + putting him on boards.” + </p> + <p> + His mother looked a little distressed. + </p> + <p> + “Rex, I wish you wouldn't talk that way about the Church—” + </p> + <p> + “I'm sorry, mother,” he said, with quick penitence. “Mr. Langmaid's a + vestryman, you know, and they've only got him there because he's the best + corporation lawyer in the city. He isn't exactly what you'd call orthodox. + He never goes.” + </p> + <p> + “We are indebted to Mr. Langmaid for Mr. Hodder.” This was one of Mr. + Waring's rare remarks. + </p> + <p> + Eleanor Goodrich caught her husband's eye, and smiled. + </p> + <p> + “I wonder why it is,” she said, “that we are so luke-warm about church in + these days? I don't mean you, Lucy, or Laureston,” she added to her + sister, Mrs. Grey. “You're both exemplary.” Lucy bowed ironically. “But + most people of our ages with whom we associate. Martha Preston, for + instance. We were all brought up like the children of Jonathan Edwards. Do + you remember that awful round-and-round feeling on Sunday afternoons, + Sally, and only the wabbly Noah's Ark elephant to play with, right in this + house? instead of THAT!” There was a bump in the hall without, and shrieks + of laughter. “I'll never forget the first time it occurred to me—when + I was reading Darwin—that if the ark were as large as Barnum's + Circus and the Natural History Museum put together, it couldn't have held + a thousandth of the species on earth. It was a blow.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know what we're coming to,” exclaimed Mrs. Waring gently. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't mean to be flippant, mother,” said Eleanor penitently, “but I do + believe the Christian religion has got to be presented in a different way, + and a more vital way, to appeal to a new generation. I am merely looking + facts in the face.” + </p> + <p> + “What is the Christian religion?” asked Sally's husband, George Bridges, + who held a chair of history in the local flourishing university. “I've + been trying to find out all my life.” + </p> + <p> + “You couldn't be expected to know, George,” said his wife. “You were + brought up an Unitarian, and went to Harvard.” + </p> + <p> + “Never mind, professor,” said Phil Goodrich, in a quizzical, affectionate + tone. “Take the floor and tell us what it isn't.” + </p> + <p> + George Bridges smiled. He was a striking contrast in type to his + square-cut and vigorous brother-in-law; very thin, with slightly + protruding eyes the color of the faded blue glaze of ancient pottery, and + yet humorous. + </p> + <p> + “I've had my chance, at any rate. Sally made me go last Sunday and hear + Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + “I can't see why you didn't like him, George,” Lucy cried. “I think he's + splendid.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I like him,” said Mr. Bridges. + </p> + <p> + “That's just it!” exclaimed Eleanor. “I like him. I think he's sincere. + And that first Sunday he came, when I saw him get up in the pulpit and + wave that long arm of his, all I could think of was a modern Savonarola. + He looks one. And then, when he began to preach, it was maddening. I felt + all the time that he could say something helpful, if he only would. But he + didn't. It was all about the sufficiency of grace,—whatever that may + be. He didn't explain it. He didn't give me one notion as to how to cope a + little better with the frightful complexities of the modern lives we live, + or how to stop quarrelling with Phil when he stays at the office and is + late for dinner.” + </p> + <p> + “Eleanor, I think you're unjust to him,” said Lucy, amid the laughter of + the men of the family. “Most people in St. John's think he is a remarkable + preacher.” + </p> + <p> + “So were many of the Greek sophists,” George Bridges observed. + </p> + <p> + “Now if it were only dear old Doctor Gilman,” Eleanor continued, “I could + sink back into a comfortable indifference. But every Sunday this new man + stirs me up, not by what he says, but by what he is. I hoped we'd get a + rector with modern ideas, who would be able to tell me what to teach my + children. Little Phil and Harriet come back from Sunday school with all + sorts of questions, and I feel like a hypocrite. At any rate, if Mr. + Hodder hasn't done anything else, he's made me want to know.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean by a man of modern ideas, Eleanor?” inquired Mr. + Bridges, with evident relish. + </p> + <p> + Eleanor put down her coffee cup, looked at him helplessly, and smiled. + </p> + <p> + “Somebody who will present Christianity to me in such a manner that it + will appeal to my reason, and enable me to assimilate it into my life.” + </p> + <p> + “Good for you, Nell,” said her husband, approvingly. “Come now, professor, + you sit up in the University' Club all Sunday morning and discuss + recondite philosophy with other learned agnostics, tell us what is the + matter with Mr. Hodder's theology. That is, if it will not shock + grandmother too much.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid I've got used to being shocked, Phil,” said Mrs. Waring, with + her quiet smile. + </p> + <p> + “It's unfair,” Mr. Bridges protested, “to ask a prejudiced pagan like me + to pronounce judgment on an honest parson who is labouring according to + his lights.” + </p> + <p> + “Go on, George. You shan't get out of it that way.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said George, “the trouble is, from the theological point of view, + that your parson is preaching what Auguste Sabatier would call a + diminished and mitigated orthodoxy.” + </p> + <p> + “Great heavens!” cried Phil. “What's that?” + </p> + <p> + “It's neither fish, flesh, nor fowl, nor good red herring,” the professor + declared. “If Mr. Hodder were cornered he couldn't maintain that he, as a + priest, has full power to forgive sins, and yet he won't assert that he + hasn't. The mediaeval conception of the Church, before Luther's day, was + consistent, at any rate, if you once grant the premises on which it was + based.” + </p> + <p> + “What premises?” + </p> + <p> + “That the Almighty had given it a charter, like an insurance company, of a + monopoly of salvation on this portion of the Universe, and agreed to keep + his hands off. Under this conception, the sale of indulgences, masses for + the soul, and temporal power are perfectly logical—inevitable. Kings + and princes derive their governments from the Church. But if we once begin + to doubt the validity of this charter, as the Reformers did, the whole + system flies to pieces, like sticking a pin into a soap bubble. + </p> + <p> + “That is the reason why—to change the figure—the so-called + Protestant world has been gradually sliding down hill ever since the + Reformation. The great majority of men are not willing to turn good, to + renounce the material and sensual rewards under their hands without some + definite and concrete guaranty that, if they do so, they are going, to be + rewarded hereafter. They demand some sort of infallibility. And when we + let go of the infallibility of the Church, we began to slide toward what + looked like a bottomless pit, and we clutched at the infallibility of the + Bible. And now that has begun to roll. + </p> + <p> + “What I mean by a mitigated orthodoxy is this: I am far from accusing Mr. + Hodder of insincerity, but he preaches as if every word of the Bible were + literally true, and had been dictated by God to the men who held the pen, + as if he, as a priest, held some supernatural power that could definitely + be traced, through what is known as the Apostolic Succession, back to + Peter.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean to say, George,” asked Mrs. Waring, with a note of pain in + her voice, “that the Apostolic Succession cannot be historically proved?” + </p> + <p> + “My dear mother,” said George, “I hope you will hold me innocent of + beginning this discussion. As a harmless professor of history in our + renowned University (of which we think so much that we do not send our + sons to it) I have been compelled by the children whom you have brought up + to sit in judgment on the theology of your rector.” + </p> + <p> + “They will leave us nothing!” she sighed. + </p> + <p> + “Nothing, perhaps, that was invented by man to appeal to man's + superstition and weakness. Of the remainder—who can say?” + </p> + <p> + “What,” asked Mrs. Waring, “do they say about the Apostolic Succession?” + </p> + <p> + “Mother is as bad as the rest of us,” said Eleanor. + </p> + <p> + “Isn't she, grandfather?” + </p> + <p> + “If I had a house to rent,” said Mr. Bridges, when the laughter had + subsided, “I shouldn't advertise five bath rooms when there were only two, + or electricity when there was only gas. I should be afraid my tenants + might find it out, and lose a certain amount of confidence in me. But the + orthodox churches are running just such a risk to-day, and if any person + who contemplates entering these churches doesn't examine the premises + first, he refrains at his own cost. + </p> + <p> + “The situation in the early Christian Church is now a matter of history, + and he who runs may read. The first churches, like those of Corinth and + Ephesus and Rome, were democracies: no such thing as a priestly line to + carry on a hierarchy, an ecclesiastical dynasty, was dreamed of. It may be + gathered from the gospels that such an idea was so far from the mind of + Christ that his mission was to set at naught just such another hierarchy, + which then existed in Israel. The Apostles were no more bishops than was + John the Baptist, but preachers who travelled from place to place, like + Paul. The congregations, at Rome and elsewhere, elected their own + 'presbyteri, episcopoi' or overseers. It is, to say the least, doubtful, + and it certainly cannot be proved historically, that Peter ever was in + Rome.” + </p> + <p> + “The professor ought to have a pulpit of his own,” said Phil. + </p> + <p> + There was a silence. And then Evelyn, who had been eating quantities of + hothouse grapes, spoke up. + </p> + <p> + “So far as I can see, the dilemma in which our generation finds itself is + this,—we want to know what there is in Christianity that we can lay + hold of. We should like to believe, but, as George says, all our education + contradicts the doctrines that are most insisted upon. We don't know where + to turn. We have the choice of going to people like George, who know a + great deal and don't believe anything, or to clergymen like Mr. Hodder, + who demand that we shall violate the reason in us which has been so + carefully trained.” + </p> + <p> + “Upon my word, I think you've put it rather well, Evelyn,” said Eleanor, + admiringly. + </p> + <p> + “In spite of personalities,” added Mr. Bridges. + </p> + <p> + “I don't see the use of fussing about it,” proclaimed Laureston Grey, who + was the richest and sprucest of the three sons-in-law. “Why can't we let + well enough alone?” + </p> + <p> + “Because it isn't well enough,” Evelyn replied. “I want the real thing or + nothing. I go to church once a month, to please mother. It doesn't do me + any good. And I don't see what good it does you and Lucy to go every + Sunday. You never think of it when you're out at dinners and dances during + the week. And besides,” she added, with the arrogance of modern youth, + “you and Lucy are both intellectually lazy.” + </p> + <p> + “I like that from you, Evelyn,” her sister flared up. + </p> + <p> + “You never read anything except the sporting columns and the annual rules + of tennis and golf and polo.” + </p> + <p> + “Must everything be reduced to terms?” Mrs. Waring gently lamented. “Why + can't we, as Laury suggests, just continue to trust?” + </p> + <p> + “They are the more fortunate, perhaps, who can, mother,” George Bridges + answered, with more of feeling in his voice than he was wont to show. + “Unhappily, truth does not come that way. If Roger Bacon and Galileo and + Newton and Darwin and Harvey and the others had 'just trusted,' the + world's knowledge would still remain as stationary as it was during the + thousand-odd years the hierarchy of the Church was supreme, when theology + was history, philosophy, and science rolled into one. If God had not meant + man to know something of his origin differing from the account in Genesis, + he would not have given us Darwin and his successors. Practically every + great discovery since the Revival we owe to men who, by their very desire + for truth, were forced into opposition to the tremendous power of the + Church, which always insisted that people should 'just trust,' and take + the mixture of cosmogony and Greek philosophy, tradition and fable, + paganism, Judaic sacerdotalism, and temporal power wrongly called + spiritual dealt out by this same Church as the last word on science, + philosophy, history, metaphysics, and government.” + </p> + <p> + “Stop!” cried Eleanor. “You make me dizzy.” + </p> + <p> + “Nearly all the pioneers to whom we owe our age of comparative + enlightenment were heretics,” George persisted. “And if they could have + been headed off, or burned, most of us would still be living in mud caves + at the foot of the cliff on which stood the nobleman's castle; and kings + would still be kings by divine decree, scientists—if there were any—workers + in the black art, and every phenomenon we failed to understand, a + miracle.” + </p> + <p> + “I choose the United States of America,” ejaculated Evelyn. + </p> + <p> + “I gather, George,” said Phil Goodrich, “that you don't believe in + miracles.” + </p> + <p> + “Miracles are becoming suspiciously fewer and fewer. Once, an eclipse of + the sun was enough to throw men on their knees because they thought it + supernatural. If they were logical they'd kneel today because it has been + found natural. Only the inexplicable phenomena are miracles; and after a + while—if the theologians will only permit us to finish the job—there + won't be any inexplicable phenomena. Mystery, as I believe William James + puts it may be called the more-to-be-known.” + </p> + <p> + “In taking that attitude, George, aren't you limiting the power of God?” + said Mrs. Waring. + </p> + <p> + “How does it limit the power of God, mother,” her son-in-law asked, “to + discover that he chooses to work by laws? The most suicidal tendency in + religious bodies today is their mediaeval insistence on what they are + pleased to call the supernatural. Which is the more marvellous—that + God can stop the earth and make the sun appear to stand still, or that he + can construct a universe of untold millions of suns with planets and + satellites, each moving in its orbit, according to law; a universe wherein + every atom is true to a sovereign conception? And yet this marvel of + marvels—that makes God in the twentieth century infinitely greater + than in the sixteenth—would never have been discovered if the + champions of theology had had their way.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Waring smiled a little. + </p> + <p> + “You are too strong for me, George,” she said, “but you mustn't expect an + old woman to change.” + </p> + <p> + “Mother, dear,” cried Eleanor, rising and laying her hand on Mrs. Waring's + cheek, “we don't want you to change. It's ourselves we wish to change, we + wish for a religious faith like yours, only the same teaching which gave + it to you is powerless for us. That's our trouble. We have only to look at + you,” she added, a little wistfully, “to be sure there is something—something + vital in Christianity, if we could only get at it, something that does not + depend upon what we have been led to believe is indispensable. George, and + men like him, can only show the weakness in the old supports. I don't mean + that they aren't doing the world a service in revealing errors, but they + cannot reconstruct.” + </p> + <p> + “That is the clergyman's business,” declared Mr. Bridges. “But he must + first acknowledge that the old supports are worthless.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Phil, “I like your rector, in spite of his anthropomorphism—perhaps, + as George would say, because of it. There is something manly about him + that appeals to me.” + </p> + <p> + “There,” cried Eleanor, triumphantly, “I've always said Mr. Hodder had a + spiritual personality. You feel—you feel there is truth shut up + inside of him which he cannot communicate. I'll tell you who impresses me + in that way more strongly than any one else—Mr. Bentley. And he + doesn't come to church any more.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Bentley,” said her, mother, “is a saint. Your father tried to get him + to dinner to-day, but he had promised those working girls of his, who live + on the upper floors of his house, to dine with them. One of them told me + so. Of course he will never speak of his kindnesses.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Bentley doesn't bother his head about theology,” said Sally. “He just + lives.” + </p> + <p> + “There's Eldon Parr,” suggested George Bridges, mentioning the name of the + city's famous financier; “I'm told he relieved Mr. Bentley of his property + some twenty-five years ago. If Mr. Hodder should begin to preach the + modern heresy which you desire, Mr Parr might object. He's very orthodox, + I'm told.” + </p> + <p> + “And Mr. Parr,” remarked the modern Evelyn, sententiously, “pays the + bills, at St. John's. Doesn't he, father?” + </p> + <p> + “I fear he pays a large proportion of them,” Mr. Waring admitted, in a + serious tone. + </p> + <p> + “In these days,” said Evelyn, “the man who pays the bills is entitled to + have his religion as he likes it.” + </p> + <p> + “No matter how he got the money to pay them,” added Phil. + </p> + <p> + “That suggests another little hitch in the modern church which will have + to be straightened out,” said George Bridges. + </p> + <p> + “'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the + outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of + extortion and excess.'” + </p> + <p> + “Why, George, you of all people quoting the Bible!” Eleanor exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “And quoting it aptly, too,” said Phil Goodrich. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid if we began on the scribes and Pharisees, we shouldn't stop + with Mr. Parr,” Asa Wiring observed, with a touch of sadness. + </p> + <p> + “In spite of all they say he has done, I can't help feeling sorry for + him,” said Mrs. Waring. “He must be so lonely in that huge palace of his + beside the Park, his wife dead, and Preston running wild around the world, + and Alison no comfort. The idea of a girl leaving her father as she did + and going off to New York to become a landscape architect!” + </p> + <p> + “But, mother,” Evelyn pleaded, “I can't see why a woman shouldn't lead her + own life. She only has one, like a man. And generally she doesn't get + that.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Waring rose. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know what we're coming to. I was taught that a woman's place was + with her husband and children; or, if she had none, with her family. I + tried to teach you so, my dear.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Evelyn, “I'm here yet. I haven't Alison's excuse. Cheer up, + mother, the world's no worse than it was.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know about that,” answered Mrs. Waring. + </p> + <p> + “Listen!” ejaculated Eleanor. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Waring's face brightened. Sounds of mad revelry came down from the + floor above. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II. MR. LANGMAID'S MISSION + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Looking back over an extraordinary career, it is interesting to attempt to + fix the time when a name becomes a talisman, and passes current for power. + This is peculiarly difficult in the case of Eldon Parr. Like many notable + men before him, nobody but Mr. Parr himself suspected his future + greatness, and he kept the secret. But if we are to search what is now + ancient history for a turning-point, perhaps we should find it in the + sudden acquisition by him of the property of Mr. Bentley. + </p> + <p> + The transaction was a simple one. Those were the days when gentlemen, as + matters of courtesy, put their names on other gentlemen's notes; and + modern financiers, while they might be sorry for Mr. Bentley, would + probably be unanimous in the opinion that he was foolish to write on the + back of Thomas Garrett's. Mr. Parr was then, as now, a business man, and + could scarcely be expected to introduce philanthropy into finance. Such + had been Mr. Bentley's unfortunate practice. And it had so happened, a few + years before, for the accommodation of some young men of his acquaintance + that he had invested rather generously in Grantham mining stock at + twenty-five cents a share, and had promptly forgotten the transaction. To + cut a long story short, in addition to Mr. Bentley's house and other + effects, Mr. Parr became the owner of the Grantham stock, which not long + after went to one hundred dollars. The reader may do the figuring. + </p> + <p> + Where was some talk at this time, but many things had happened since. For + example, Mr. Parr had given away great sums in charity. And it may + likewise be added in his favour that Mr. Bentley was glad to be rid of his + fortune. He had said so. He deeded his pew back to St. John's, and + protesting to his friends that he was not unhappy, he disappeared from the + sight of all save a few. The rising waters of Prosperity closed over him. + But Eliza Preston, now Mrs. Parr, was one of those who were never to + behold him again,—in this world, at least. + </p> + <p> + She was another conspicuous triumph in that career we are depicting. + Gradual indeed had been the ascent from the sweeping out of a store to the + marrying of a Preston, but none the less sure inevitable. For many years + after this event, Eldon Parr lived modestly in what was known as a + “stone-front” house in Ransome Street, set well above the sidewalk, with a + long flight of yellow stone steps leading to it; steps scrubbed with + Sapoho twice a week by a negro in rubber boots. There was a stable with a + tarred roof in the rear, to be discerned beyond the conventional side lawn + that was broken into by the bay window of the dining-room. There, in that + house, his two children were born: there, within those inartistic walls, + Eliza Preston lived a life that will remain a closed book forever. What + she thought, what she dreamed, if anything, will never be revealed. She + did not, at least, have neurasthenia, and for all the world knew, she may + have loved her exemplary and successful husband, with whom her life was as + regular as the Strasburg clock. She breakfasted at eight and dined at + seven; she heard her children's lessons and read them Bible stories; and + at half past ten every Sunday morning, rain or shine, walked with them and + her husband to the cars on Tower Street to attend service at St. John's, + for Mr. Parr had scruples in those days about using the carriage on the + Sabbath. + </p> + <p> + She did not live, alas, to enjoy for long the Medicean magnificence of the + mansion facing the Park, to be a companion moon in the greater orbit. + Eldon Part's grief was real, and the beautiful English window in the south + transept of the church bears witness to it. And yet it cannot be said that + he sought solace in religion, so apparently steeped in it had he always + been. It was destiny that he should take his place on the vestry; destiny, + indeed, that he should ultimately become the vestry as well as the first + layman of the diocese; unobtrusively, as he had accomplished everything + else in life, in spite of Prestons and Warings, Atterburys, Goodriches, + and Gores. And he was wont to leave his weighty business affairs to shift + for themselves while he attended the diocesan and general conventions of + his Church. + </p> + <p> + He gave judiciously, as becomes one who holds a fortune in trust, yet + generously, always permitting others to help, until St. John's was a very + gem of finished beauty. And, as the Rothschilds and the Fuggera made money + for grateful kings and popes, so in a democratic age, Eldon Parr became + the benefactor of an adulatory public. The university, the library, the + hospitals, and the parks of his chosen city bear witness. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + For forty years, Dr. Gilman had been the rector of St. John's. One Sunday + morning, he preached his not unfamiliar sermon on the text, “For now we + see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face,” and when the next + Sunday dawned he was in his grave in Winterbourne Cemetery, sincerely + mourned within the parish and without. In the nature of mortal things, his + death was to be expected: no less real was the crisis to be faced At the + vestry meeting that followed, the problem was tersely set forth by Eldon + Parr, his frock coat tightly buttoned about his chest, his glasses in his + hand. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” he said, “we have to fulfil a grave responsibility to the + parish, to the city, and to God. The matter of choosing a rector to-day, + when clergymen are meddling with all sorts of affairs which do not concern + them, is not so simple as it was twenty years ago. We have, at St. John's, + always been orthodox and dignified, and I take it to be the sense of this + vestry that we remain so. I conceive it our duty to find a man who is + neither too old nor too young, who will preach the faith as we received + it, who is not sensational, and who does not mistake socialism for + Christianity.” + </p> + <p> + By force of habit, undoubtedly, Mr. Parr glanced at Nelson Langmaid as he + sat down. Innumerable had been the meetings of financial boards at which + Mr. Parr had glanced at Langmaid, who had never failed to respond. He was + that sine qua non of modern affairs, a corporation lawyer,—although + he resembled a big and genial professor of Scandinavian extraction. He + wore round, tortoise-shell spectacles, he had a high, dome-like forehead, + and an ample light brown beard which he stroked from time to time. It is + probable that he did not believe in the immortality of the soul. + </p> + <p> + His eyes twinkled as he rose. + </p> + <p> + “I don't pretend to be versed in theology, gentlemen, as you know,” he + said, and the entire vestry, even Mr. Parr, smiled. For vestries, in spite + of black coats and the gravity of demeanour which first citizens are apt + to possess, are human after all. “Mr. Parr has stated, I believe; the + requirements, and I agree with him that it is not an easy order to fill. + You want a parson who will stick to his last, who will not try + experiments, who is not too high or too low or too broad or too narrow, + who has intellect without too much initiative, who can deliver a good + sermon to those who can appreciate one, and yet will not get the church + uncomfortably full of strangers and run you out of your pews. In short, + you want a level-headed clergyman about thirty-five years old who will + mind his own business.” + </p> + <p> + The smiles on the faces of the vestry deepened. The ability to put a + matter thus humorously was a part of Nelson Langmaid's power with men and + juries. + </p> + <p> + “I venture to add another qualification,” he continued, “and that is + virility. We don't want a bandbox rector. Well, I happen to have in mind a + young man who errs somewhat on the other side, and who looks a little like + a cliff profile I once saw on Lake George of George Washington or an + Indian chief, who stands about six feet two. He's a bachelor—if + that's a drawback. But I am not at all sure he can be induced to leave his + present parish, where he has been for ten years.” + </p> + <p> + “I am,” announced Wallis Plimpton, with his hands in his pockets, + “provided the right man tackles him.” + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + Nelson Langmaid's most notable achievement, before he accomplished the + greater one of getting a new rector for St. John's, had been to construct + the “water-tight box” whereby the Consolidated Tractions Company had + become a law-proof possibility. But his was an esoteric reputation,—the + greater fame had been Eldon Parr's. Men's minds had been dazzled by the + breadth of the conception of scooping all the street-car lines of the + city, long and short, into one big basket, as it were; and when the stock + had been listed in New York, butcher and baker, clerk and proprietor, + widow and maid, brought out their hoardings; the great project was + discussed in clubs, cafes, and department stores, and by citizens hanging + on the straps of the very cars that were to be consolidated—golden + word! Very little appeared about Nelson Langmaid, who was philosophically + content. But to Mr. Parr, who was known to dislike publicity, were devoted + pages in the Sunday newspapers, with photographs of the imposing front of + his house in Park Street, his altar and window in St. John's, the Parr + building, and even of his private car, Antonia. + </p> + <p> + Later on, another kind of publicity, had come. The wind had whistled for a + time, but it turned out to be only a squall. The Consolidated Tractions + Company had made the voyage for which she had been constructed, and thus + had fulfilled her usefulness; and the cleverest of the rats who had + mistaken her for a permanent home scurried ashore before she was broken + up. + </p> + <p> + All of which is merely in the nature of a commentary on Mr. Langmaid's + genius. His reputation for judgment—which by some is deemed the + highest of human qualities—was impaired; and a man who in his time + had selected presidents of banks and trust companies could certainly be + trusted to choose a parson—particularly if the chief requirements + were not of a spiritual nature... + </p> + <p> + A week later he boarded an east-bound limited train, armed with plenary + powers. + </p> + <p> + His destination was the hill town where he had spent the first fifteen + years of his life, amid the most striking of New England landscapes, and + the sight of the steep yet delicately pastoral slopes never failed to + thrill him as the train toiled up the wide valley to Bremerton. The vision + of these had remained with him during the years of his toil in the growing + Western city, and embodied from the first homesick days an ideal to which + he hoped sometime permanently to return. But he never had. His family had + shown a perversity of taste in preferring the sea, and he had perforce + been content with a visit of a month or so every other summer, accompanied + usually by his daughter, Helen. On such occasions, he stayed with his + sister, Mrs. Whitely. + </p> + <p> + The Whitely mills were significant of the new Bremerton, now neither + village nor city, but partaking of the characteristics of both. French + Canadian might be heard on the main square as well as Yankee; and that + revolutionary vehicle, the automobile, had inspired there a great brick + edifice with a banner called the Bremerton House. Enterprising Italians + had monopolized the corners with fruit stores, and plate glass and asphalt + were in evidence. But the hills looked down unchanged, and in the cool, + maple-shaded streets, though dotted with modern residences, were the same + demure colonial houses he had known in boyhood. + </p> + <p> + He was met at the station by his sister, a large, matronly woman who + invariably set the world whizzing backward for Langmaid; so completely did + she typify the contentment, the point of view of an age gone by. For life + presented no more complicated problems to the middle-aged Mrs. Whitely + than it had to Alice Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “I know what you've come for, Nelson,” she said reproachfully, when she + greeted him at the station. “Dr. Gilman's dead, and you want our Mr. + Hodder. I feel it in my bones. Well, you can't get him. He's had ever so + many calls, but he won't leave Bremerton.” + </p> + <p> + She knew perfectly well, however, that Nelson would get him, although her + brother characteristically did not at once acknowledge his mission. Alice + Whitely had vivid memories of a childhood when he had never failed to get + what he wanted; a trait of his of which, although it had before now caused + her much discomfort, she was secretly inordinately proud. She was, + therefore, later in the day not greatly surprised to find herself + supplying her brother with arguments. Much as they admired and loved Mr. + Hodder, they had always realized that he could not remain buried in + Bremerton. His talents demanded a wider field. + </p> + <p> + “Talents!” exclaimed Langmaid, “I didn't know he had any.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Nelson, how can you say such a thing, when you came to get him!” + exclaimed his sister. + </p> + <p> + “I recommended him because I thought he had none,” Langmaid declared. + </p> + <p> + “He'll be a bishop some day—every one says so,” said Mrs. Whitely, + indignantly. + </p> + <p> + “That reassures me,” said her brother. + </p> + <p> + “I can't see why they sent you—you hardly ever go to church,” she + cried. “I don't mind telling you, Nelson, that the confidence men place in + you is absurd.” + </p> + <p> + “You've said that before,” he replied. “I agree with you. I'm not going on + my judgment—but on yours and Gerald's, because I know that you + wouldn't put up with anything that wasn't strictly all-wool orthodox.” + </p> + <p> + “I think you're irreverent,” said his sister, “and it's a shame that the + canons permit such persons to sit on the vestry....” + </p> + <p> + “Gerald,” asked Nelson Langmaid of his brother-in-law that night, after + his sister and the girls had gone to bed, “are you sure that this young + man's orthodox?” + </p> + <p> + “He's been here for over ten years, ever since he left the seminary, and + he's never done or said anything radical yet,” replied the mill owner of + Bremerton. “If you don't want him, we'd be delighted to have him stay. + We're not forcing him on you, you know. What the deuce has got into you? + You've talked to him for two hours, and you've sat looking at him at the + dinner table for another two. I thought you were a judge of men.” + </p> + <p> + Nelson Langmaid sat silent. + </p> + <p> + “I'm only urging Hodder to go for his own good,” Mr. Whitely continued. “I + can take you to dozens of people to-morrow morning who worship him,—people + of all sorts; the cashier in the bank, men in the mills, the hotel clerk, + my private stenographer—he's built up that little church from + nothing at all. And you may write the Bishop, if you wish.” + </p> + <p> + “How has he built up the church?” Langmaid demanded + </p> + <p> + “How? How does any clergyman buildup a church + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” Langmaid confessed. “It strikes me as quite a tour de + force in these days. Does he manage to arouse enthusiasm for orthodox + Christianity?” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Gerard Whitely, “I think the service appeals. We've made it + as beautiful as possible. And then Mr. Hodder goes to see these people and + sits up with them, and they tell him their troubles. He's reformed one or + two rather bad cases. I suppose it's the man's personality.” + </p> + <p> + Ah! Langmaid exclaimed, “now you're talking!” + </p> + <p> + “I can't see what you're driving at,” confessed his brother-in-law. + “You're too deep for me, Nelson.” + </p> + <p> + If the truth be told, Langmaid himself did not quits see. On behalf of the + vestry, he offered next day to Mr. Hodder the rectorship of St. John's and + that offer was taken under consideration; but there was in the lawyer's + mind no doubt of the acceptance, which, in the course of a fortnight after + he had returned to the West, followed. + </p> + <p> + By no means a negligible element in Nelson Langmaid's professional success + had been his possession of what may called a sixth sense, and more than + once, on his missions of trust, he had listened to its admonitory + promptings. + </p> + <p> + At times he thought he recognized these in his conversation with the + Reverend John Hodder at Bremerton,—especially in that last interview + in the pleasant little study of the rectory overlooking Bremerton Lake. + But the promptings were faint, and Langmaid out of his medium. He was not + choosing the head of a trust company. + </p> + <p> + He himself felt the pull of the young clergyman's personality, and + instinctively strove to resist it: and was more than ever struck by Mr. + Hodder's resemblance to the cliff sculpture of which he had spoken at the + vestry meeting. + </p> + <p> + He was rough-hewn indeed, with gray-green eyes, and hair the color of + golden sand: it would not stay brushed. It was this hair that hinted most + strongly of individualism, that was by no means orthodox. Langmaid felt an + incongruity, but he was fascinated; and he had discovered on the rector's + shelves evidences of the taste for classical authors that he himself + possessed. Thus fate played with him, and the two men ranged from + Euripides to Horace, from Horace to Dante and Gibbon. And when Hodder got + up to fetch this or that edition, he seemed to tower over the lawyer, who + was a big man himself. + </p> + <p> + Then they discussed business, Langmaid describing the parish, the people, + the peculiar situation in St. John's caused by Dr. Gilman's death, while + Hodder listened. He was not talkative; he made no promises; his reserve on + occasions was even a little disconcerting; and it appealed to the lawyer + from Hodder as a man, but somehow not as a clergyman. Nor did the rector + volunteer any evidences of the soundness of his theological or political + principles. + </p> + <p> + He gave Langmaid the impression—though without apparent egotism—that + by accepting the call he would be conferring a favour on St. John's; and + this was when he spoke with real feeling of the ties that bound him to + Bremerton. Langmaid felt a certain deprecation of the fact that he was not + a communicant. + </p> + <p> + For the rest, if Mr. Hodder were disposed to take himself and his + profession seriously, he was by no means lacking in an appreciation of + Langmaid's humour.... + </p> + <p> + The tempering of the lawyer's elation as he returned homeward to report to + Mr. Parr and the vestry may be best expressed by his own exclamation, + which he made to himself: + </p> + <p> + “I wonder what that fellow would do if he ever got started!” A parson was, + after all, a parson, and he had done his best. + </p> + <p> + IV + </p> + <p> + A high, oozing note of the brakes, and the heavy train came to a stop. + Hodder looked out of the window of the sleeper to read the sign 'Marcion' + against the yellow brick of the station set down in the prairie mud, and + flanked by a long row of dun-colored freight cars backed up to a factory. + </p> + <p> + The factory was flimsy, somewhat resembling a vast greenhouse with its + multitudinous windows, and bore the name of a firm whose offices were in + the city to which he was bound. + </p> + <p> + “We 'most in now, sah,” the negro porter volunteered. “You kin see the + smoke yondah.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder's mood found a figure in this portentous sign whereby the city's + presence was betrayed to travellers from afar,—the huge pall seemed + an emblem of the weight of the city's sorrows; or again, a cloud of her + own making which shut her in from the sight of heaven. Absorbed in the mad + contest for life, for money and pleasure and power she felt no need to + lift her eyes beyond the level of her material endeavours. + </p> + <p> + He, John Hodder, was to live under that cloud, to labour under it. The + mission on which he was bound, like the prophets of old, was somehow to + gain the ears of this self-absorbed population, to strike the fear of the + eternal into their souls, to convince them that there was Something above + and beyond that smoke which they ignored to their own peril. + </p> + <p> + Yet the task, at this nearer view, took on proportions overwhelming—so + dense was that curtain at which he gazed. And to-day the very skies above + it were leaden, as though Nature herself had turned atheist. In spite of + the vigour with which he was endowed, in spite of the belief in his own + soul, doubts assailed him of his ability to cope with this problem of the + modern Nineveh—at the very moment when he was about to realize his + matured ambition of a great city parish. + </p> + <p> + Leaning back on the cushioned seat, as the train started again, he + reviewed the years at Bremerton, his first and only parish. Hitherto (to + his surprise, since he had been prepared for trials) he had found the + religious life a primrose path. Clouds had indeed rested on Bremerton's + crests, but beneficent clouds, always scattered by the sun. And there, + amid the dazzling snows, he had on occasions walked with God. + </p> + <p> + His success, modest though it were, had been too simple. He had loved the + people, and they him, and the pang of homesickness he now experienced was + the intensest sorrow he had known since he had been among them. Yes, + Bremerton had been for him (he realized now that he had left it) as near + an approach to Arcadia as this life permits, and the very mountains by + which it was encircled had seemed effectively to shut out those monster + problems which had set the modern world outside to seething. Gerald + Whitely's thousand operatives had never struck; the New York newspapers, + the magazines that discussed with vivid animus the corporation-political + problems in other states, had found Bremerton interested, but unmoved; and + Mrs. Whitely, who was a trustee of the library, wasted her energy in + deploring the recent volumes on economics, sociology, philosophy, and + religion that were placed on the shelves. If Bremerton read them—and + a portion of Bremerton did—no difference was apparent in the + attendance at Hodder's church. The Woman's Club discussed them + strenuously, but made no attempt to put their doctrines into practice. + </p> + <p> + Hodder himself had but glanced at a few of them, and to do him justice + this abstention had not had its root in cowardice. His life was full—his + religion “worked.” And the conditions with which these books dealt simply + did not exist for him. The fact that there were other churches in the town + less successful than his own (one or two, indeed, virtually starving) he + had found it simple to account for in that their denominations had + abandoned the true conception of the Church, and were logically + degenerating into atrophy. What better proof of the barrenness of these + modern philosophical and religious books did he need than the spectacle of + other ministers—who tarried awhile on starvation salaries—reading + them and preaching from them? + </p> + <p> + He, John Hodder, had held fast to the essential efficacy of the word of + God as propounded in past ages by the Fathers. It is only fair to add that + he did so without pride or bigotry, and with a sense of thankfulness at + the simplicity of the solution (ancient, in truth!) which, apparently by + special grace, had been vouchsafed him. And to it he attributed the + flourishing condition in which he had left the Church of the Ascension at + Bremerton. + </p> + <p> + “We'll never get another rector like you,” Alice Whitely had exclaimed, + with tears in her eyes, as she bade him good-by. And he had rebuked her. + Others had spoken in a similar strain, and it is a certain tribute to his + character to record that the underlying hint had been lost on Hodder. His + efficacy, he insisted, lay in the Word. + </p> + <p> + Hodder looked at his watch, only to be reminded poignantly of the chief + cause of his heaviness of spirit, for it represented concretely the + affections of those whom he had left behind; brought before him vividly + the purple haze of the Bremerton valley, and the garden party, in the + ample Whitely grounds, which was their tribute to him. And he beheld, + moving from the sunlight to shadow, the figure of Rachel Ogden. She might + have been with him now, speeding by his side into the larger life! + </p> + <p> + In his loneliness, he seemed to be gazing into reproachful eyes. Nothing + had passed between them. It, was he who had held back, a fact that in the + retrospect caused him some amazement. For, if wifehood were to be regarded + as a profession, Rachel Ogden had every qualification. And Mrs. Whitely's + skilful suggestions had on occasions almost brought him to believe in the + reality of the mirage,—never quite. + </p> + <p> + Orthodox though he were, there had been times when his humour had borne + him upward toward higher truths, and he had once remarked that promising + to love forever was like promising to become President of the United + States. + </p> + <p> + One might achieve it, but it was independent of the will. Hodder's ideals—if + he had only known—transcended the rubric. His feeling for Rachel + Ogden had not been lacking in tenderness, and yet he had recoiled from + marriage merely for the sake of getting a wife, albeit one with easy + qualification. He shrank instinctively from the humdrum, and sought the + heights, stormy though these might prove. As yet he had not analyzed this + craving. + </p> + <p> + This he did know—for he had long ago torn from his demon the + draperies of disguise—that women were his great temptation. + Ordination had not destroyed it, and even during those peaceful years at + Bremerton he had been forced to maintain a watchful guard. He had a power + over women, and they over him, that threatened to lead him constantly into + wayside paths, and often he wondered what those who listened to him from + the pulpit would think if they guessed that at times, he struggled with + suggestion even now. Yet, with his hatred of compromises, he had scorned + marriage. + </p> + <p> + The yoke of Augustine! The caldron of unholy loves! Even now, as he sat in + the train, his mind took its own flight backward into that remoter past + that was still a part of him: to secret acts of his college days the + thought of which made him shudder; yes, and to riots and revels. In youth, + his had been one of those boiling, contagious spirits that carry with + them, irresistibly, tamer companions. He had been a leader in intermittent + raids into forbidden spheres; a leader also in certain more decorous + pursuits—if athletics may be so accounted; yet he had capable of + long periods of self-control, for a cause. Through it all a spark had + miraculously been kept alive.... + </p> + <p> + Popularity followed him from the small New England college to the Harvard + Law School. He had been soberer there, marked as a pleader, and at last + the day arrived when he was summoned by a great New York lawyer to discuss + his future. Sunday intervened. Obeying a wayward impulse, he had gone to + one of the metropolitan churches to hear a preacher renowned for his + influence over men. There is, indeed, much that is stirring to the + imagination in the spectacle of a mass of human beings thronging into a + great church, pouring up the aisles, crowding the galleries, joining with + full voices in the hymns. What drew them? He himself was singing words + familiar since childhood, and suddenly they were fraught with a startling + meaning! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Fill me, radiancy divine, + Scatter all my unbelief!” + </pre> + <p> + Visions of the Crusades rose before him, of a friar arousing France, of a + Maid of Orleans; of masses of soiled, war-worn, sin-worn humanity groping + towards the light. Even after all these ages, the belief, the hope would + not down. + </p> + <p> + Outside, a dismal February rain was falling, a rain to wet the soul. The + reek of damp clothes pervaded the gallery where he sat surrounded by + clerks and shop girls, and he pictured to himself the dreary rooms from + which they had emerged, drawn by the mysterious fire on that altar. Was it + a will-o'-the-wisp? Below him, in the pews, were the rich. Did they, too, + need warmth? + </p> + <p> + Then came the sermon, “I will arise and go to my father.” + </p> + <p> + After the service, far into the afternoon, he had walked the wet streets + heedless of his direction, in an exaltation that he had felt before, but + never with such intensity. It seemed as though he had always wished to + preach, and marvelled that the perception had not come to him sooner. If + the man to whom he had listened could pour the light into the dark corners + of other men's souls, he, John Hodder, felt the same hot spark within him,—despite + the dark corners of his own! + </p> + <p> + At dusk he came to himself, hungry, tired, and wet, in what proved to be + the outskirts of Harlem. He could see the place now: the lonely, wooden + houses, the ramshackle saloon, the ugly, yellow gleam from the street + lamps in a line along the glistening pavement; beside him, a towering hill + of granite with a real estate sign, “This lot for sale.” And he had stood + staring at it, thinking of the rock that would have to be cut away before + a man could build there,—and so read his own parable. + </p> + <p> + How much rock would have to be cut away, how much patient chipping before + the edifice of which he had been dreaming could be reared! Could he ever + do it? Once removed, he would be building on rock. But could he remove + it?... To help revive a faith, a dying faith, in a material age,—that + indeed were a mission for any man! He found his way to an elevated train, + and as it swept along stared unseeing at the people who pushed and jostled + him. Still under the spell, he reached his room and wrote to the lawyer + thanking him, but saying that he had reconsidered coming to New York. It + was not until he had posted the letter, and was on his way back to + Cambridge that he fully realized he had made the decision of his life. + </p> + <p> + Misgivings, many of them, had come in the months that followed, misgivings + and struggles, mocking queries. Would it last? There was the incredulity + and amazement of nearest friends, who tried to dissuade him from so + extraordinary a proceeding. Nobody, they said, ever became a parson in + these days; nobody, at least, with his ability. He was throwing himself + away. Ethics had taken the place of religion; intelligent men didn't go to + church. And within him went on an endless debate. Public opinion made some + allowance for frailties in other professions; in the ministry, none: he + would be committing himself to be good the rest of his life, and that + seemed too vast an undertaking for any human. + </p> + <p> + The chief horror that haunted him was not failure,—for oddly enough + he never seriously distrusted his power, it was disaster. Would God give + him the strength to fight his demon? If he were to gain the heights, only + to stumble in the sight of all men, to stumble and fall. + </p> + <p> + Seeming echoes of the hideous mockery of it rang in his ears: where is the + God that this man proclaimed? he saw the newspaper headlines, listened in + imagination to cynical comments, beheld his name trailed through the + soiled places of the cities, the shuttlecock of men and women. “To him + that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give + him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one + knoweth but he that receiveth it.” Might he ever win that new name, eat of + the hidden manna of a hidden power, become the possessor of the morning + star? + </p> + <p> + Unless there be in the background a mother, no portrait of a man is + complete. She explains him, is his complement. Through good mothers are + men conceived of God: and with God they sit, forever yearning, forever + reaching out, helpless except for him: with him, they have put a man into + the world. Thus, into the Supreme Canvas, came the Virgin. + </p> + <p> + John Hodder's mother was a widow, and to her, in the white, gabled house + which had sheltered stern ancestors, he travelled in the June following + his experience. Standing under the fan-light of the elm-shaded doorway, + she seemed a vision of the peace wherein are mingled joy and sorrow, faith + and tears! A tall, quiet woman, who had learned the lesson of mothers,—how + to wait and how to pray, how to be silent with a clamouring heart. + </p> + <p> + She had lived to see him established at Bremerton, to be with him there + awhile.... + </p> + <p> + He awoke from these memories to gaze down through the criss-cross of a + trestle to the twisted, turbid waters of the river far below. Beyond was + the city. The train skirted for a while the hideous, soot-stained + warehouses that faced the water, plunged into a lane between humming + factories and clothes-draped tenements, and at last glided into + semi-darkness under the high, reverberating roof of the Union Station. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III. THE PRIMROSE PATH + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Nelson Langmaid's extraordinary judgment appeared once more to be + vindicated. + </p> + <p> + There had been, indeed, a critical, anxious moment, emphasized by the + agitation of bright feminine plumes and the shifting of masculine backs + into the corners of the pews. None got so far as to define to themselves + why there should be an apparent incompatibility between ruggedness and + orthodoxy—but there were some who hoped and more who feared. Luther + had been orthodox once, Savonarola also: in appearance neither was more + canonical than the new rector. + </p> + <p> + His congregation, for the most part, were not analytical. But they felt a + certain anomaly in virility proclaiming tradition. It took them several + Sundays to get accustomed to it. + </p> + <p> + To those who had been used for more than a quarter of a century to seeing + old Dr. Gilman's gentle face under the familiar and faded dove of the + sounding-board, to the deliberation of his walk, and the hesitation of his + manner, the first impression of the Reverend John Hodder was somewhat + startling. They felt that there should be a leisurely element in religion. + He moved across the chancel with incredible swiftness, his white surplice + flowing like the draperies of a moving Victory, wasted no time with the + pulpit lights, announced his text in a strong and penetrating, but by no + means unpleasing voice, and began to speak with the certainty of + authority. + </p> + <p> + Here, in an age when a new rector had, ceased to be an all-absorbing topic + in social life, was a new and somewhat exhilarating experience. And it may + be privately confessed that there were some who sat in St. John's during + those first weeks of his incumbency who would indignantly have repudiated + the accusation that they were not good churchmen and churchwomen, and who + nevertheless had queer sensations in listening to ancient doctrines set + forth with Emersonian conviction. Some were courageous enough to ask + themselves, in the light of this forceful presentation, whether they + really did believe them as firmly as they supposed they had. + </p> + <p> + Dear old Dr. Gilman had been milder—much milder as the years gained + upon him. And latterly, when he had preached, his voice had sounded like + the unavailing protest of one left far behind, who called out faintly with + unheeded warnings. They had loved him: but the modern world was a busy + world, and Dr. Gilman did not understand it. This man was different. Here + was what the Church taught, he said, and they might slight it at their + peril! + </p> + <p> + It is one thing to believe one's self orthodox, and quite another to have + that orthodoxy so definitely defined as to be compelled, whether or no, to + look it squarely in the face and own or disown it. Some indeed, like + Gordon Atterbury, stood the test; responded to the clarion call for which + they had been longing. But little Everett Constable, who also sat on the + vestry, was a trifle uncomfortable in being reminded that absence from the + Communion Table was perilous, although he would have been the last to deny + the efficacy of the Sacrament. + </p> + <p> + The new rector was plainly not a man who might be accused of policy in + pandering to the tastes of a wealthy and conservative flock. But if, in + the series of sermons which lasted from his advent until well after + Christmas, he had deliberately consulted their prejudices, he could not + have done better. It is true that he went beyond the majority of them, but + into a region which they regarded as preeminently safe,—a region the + soil of which was traditional. To wit: St. Paul had left to the world a + consistent theology. Historical research was ignored rather than + condemned. And it might reasonably have been gathered from these + discourses that the main proofs of Christ's divinity lay in his Virgin + Birth, his miracles, and in the fact that his body had risen from the + grave, had been seen by many, and even touched. Hence unbelief had no + excuse. By divine commission there were bishops, priests, and deacons in + the new hierarchy, and it was through the Apostolic Succession that he, + their rector, derived his sacerdotal powers. There were, no doubt, many + obscure passages in the Scripture, but men's minds were finite; a catholic + acceptance was imperative, and the evils of the present day—a + sufficiently sweeping statement—were wholly due to deplorable lapses + from such acceptance. The Apostolic teaching must be preserved, since it + transcended all modern wanderings after truth. Hell, though not definitely + defined in terms of flames, was no less a state of torture (future, by + implication) of which fire was but a faint symbol. And he gave them + clearly to understand that an unbaptized person ran no inconsiderable + risk. He did not declare unqualifiedly that the Church alone had the power + to save, but such was the inference. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + It was entirely fitting, no doubt, when the felicitations of certain of + the older parishioners on his initial sermon were over, that Mr. Hodder + should be carried westward to lunch with the first layman of the diocese. + But Mr. Parr, as became a person of his responsibility, had been more + moderate in his comment. For he had seen, in his day, many men whose + promise had been unfulfilled. Tightly buttoned, silk hatted, upright, he + sat in the corner of his limousine, the tasselled speaking-tube in his + hand, from time to time cautioning his chauffeur. + </p> + <p> + “Carefully!” he cried. “I've told you not to drive so fast in this part of + town. I've never got used to automobiles,” he remarked to Hodder, “and I + formerly went to church in the street-cars, but the distances have grown + so great—and I have occasionally been annoyed in them.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was not given to trite acquiescence. His homely composure belied + the alertness of his faculties; he was striving to adapt himself to the + sudden broadening and quickening of the stream of his life, and he felt a + certain excitement—although he did not betray it—in the + presence of the financier. Much as he resented the thought, it was + impossible for him not to realize that the man's pleasure and displeasure + were important; for, since his arrival, he had had delicate reminders of + this from many sources. Recurrently, it had caused him a vague uneasiness, + hinted at a problem new to him. He was jealous of the dignity of the + Church, and he seemed already to have detected in Mr. Parr's manner a + subtle note of patronage. Nor could Hodder's years of provincialism permit + him to forget that this man with whom he was about to enter into personal + relations was a capitalist of national importance. + </p> + <p> + The neighbourhood they traversed was characteristic of our rapidly + expanding American cities. There were rows of dwelling houses, once + ultra-respectable, now slatternly, and lawns gone grey; some of these + houses had been remodelled into third-rate shops, or thrown together to + make manufacturing establishments: saloons occupied all the favourable + corners. Flaming posters on vacant lots announced, pictorially, dubious + attractions at the theatres. It was a wonderful Indian summer day, the + sunlight soft and melting; and the smoke which continually harassed this + district had lifted a little, as though in deference to the Sabbath. + </p> + <p> + Hodder read the sign on a lamp post, Dalton Street. The name clung in his + memory. + </p> + <p> + “We thought, some twenty years ago, of moving the church westward,” said + Mr. Parr, “but finally agreed to remain where we were.” + </p> + <p> + The rector had a conviction on this point, and did not hesitate to state + it without waiting to be enlightened as to the banker's views. + </p> + <p> + “It would seem to me a wise decision,” he said, looking out of the window, + and wholly absorbed in the contemplation of the evidences of misery and + vice, “with this poverty at the very doors of the church.” + </p> + <p> + Something in his voice impelled Eldon Parr to shoot a glance at his + profile. + </p> + <p> + “Poverty is inevitable, Mr. Hodder,” he declared. “The weak always sink.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder's reply, whatever it might have been, was prevented by the sudden + and unceremonious flight of both occupants toward the ceiling of the + limousine, caused by a deep pit in the asphalt. + </p> + <p> + “What are you doing, Gratton?” Mr. Parr called sharply through the tube. + </p> + <p> + Presently, the lawns began to grow brighter, the houses more cheerful, and + the shops were left behind. They crossed the third great transverse artery + of the city (not so long ago, Mr. Parr remarked, a quagmire), now lined by + hotels and stores with alluring displays in plate glass windows and + entered a wide boulevard that stretched westward straight to the great + Park. This boulevard the financier recalled as a country road of clay. It + was bordered by a vivid strip, of green; a row of tall and graceful lamp + posts, like sentinels, marked its course; while the dwellings, set far + back on either side, were for the most part large and pretentious, + betraying in their many tentative styles of architecture the reaching out + of a commercial nation after beauty. Some, indeed, were simple of line and + restful to the trained eye. + </p> + <p> + They came to the wide entrance of the Park, so wisely preserved as a + breathing place for future generations. A slight haze had gathered over + the rolling forests to the westward; but this haze was not smoke. Here, in + this enchanting region, the autumn sunlight was undiluted gold, the lawns, + emerald, and the red gravel around the statesman's statue glistening. The + automobile quickly swung into a street that skirted the Park,—if + street it might be called, for it was more like a generous private + driveway,—flanked on the right by fences of ornamental ironwork and + high shrubbery that concealed the fore yards of dominating private + residences which might: without great exaggeration, have been called + palaces. + </p> + <p> + “That's Ferguson's house,” volunteered Mr. Parr, indicating a marble + edifice with countless windows. “He's one of your vestrymen, you know. + Ferguson's Department Store.” The banker's eyes twinkled a little for the + first time. “You'll probably find it convenient. Most people do. Clever + business man, Ferguson.” + </p> + <p> + But the rector was finding difficulty in tabulating his impressions. + </p> + <p> + They turned in between two posts of a gateway toward a huge house of rough + granite. And Hodder wondered whether, in the swift onward roll of things, + the time would come when this, too, would have been deemed ephemeral. With + its massive walls and heavy, red-tiled roof that sloped steeply to many + points, it seemed firmly planted for ages to come. It was surrounded, yet + not hemmed in, by trees of a considerable age. His host explained that + these had belonged to the original farm of which all this Park Street + property had made a part. + </p> + <p> + They alighted under a porte-cochere with a glass roof. + </p> + <p> + “I'm sorry,” said Mr. Parr, as the doors swung open and he led the way + into the house, “I'm sorry I can't give you a more cheerful welcome, but + my son and daughter, for their own reasons, see fit to live elsewhere.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder's quick ear detected in the tone another cadence, and he glanced at + Eldon Parr with a new interest.... + </p> + <p> + Presently they stood, face to face, across a table reduced to its smallest + proportions, in the tempered light of a vast dining-room, an apartment + that seemed to symbolize the fortress-like properties of wealth. The odd + thought struck the clergyman that this man had made his own Tower of + London, had built with his own hands the prison in which he was to end his + days. The carved oaken ceiling, lofty though it was, had the effect of + pressing downward, the heavy furniture matched the heavy walls, and even + the silent, quick-moving servants had a watchful air. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr bowed his head while Hodder asked grace. They sat down. + </p> + <p> + The constraint which had characterized their conversation continued, yet + there was a subtle change in the attitude of the clergyman. The financier + felt this, though it could not be said that Hodder appeared more at his + ease: his previous silences had been by no means awkward. Eldon Parr liked + self-contained men. But his perceptions were as keen as Nelson Langmaid's, + and like Langmaid, he had gradually become conscious of a certain baffling + personality in the new rector of St. John's. From time to time he was + aware of the grey-green eyes curiously fixed on him, and at a loss to + account for their expression. He had no thought of reading in it an + element of pity. Yet pity was nevertheless in the rector's heart, and its + advent was emancipating him from the limitations of provincial + inexperience. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly, the financier launched forth on a series of shrewd and searching + questions about Bremerton, its church, its people, its industries, and + social conditions. All of which Hodder answered to his apparent + satisfaction. + </p> + <p> + Coffee was brought. Hodder pushed back his chair, crossed his knees, and + sat perfectly still regarding his host, his body suggesting a repose that + did not interfere with his perceptive faculties. + </p> + <p> + “You don't smoke, Mr. Hodder?” + </p> + <p> + The rector smiled and shook his head. Mr. Parr selected a diminutive, + yellow cigar and held it up. + </p> + <p> + “This,” he said, “has been the extent of my indulgence for twenty years. + They are made for me in Cuba.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder smiled again, but said nothing. + </p> + <p> + “I have had a letter from your former bishop, speaking of you in the + highest terms,” he observed. + </p> + <p> + “The bishop is very kind.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr cleared his throat. + </p> + <p> + “I am considerably older than you,” he went on, “and I have the future of + St. John's very much at heart, Mr. Hodder. I trust you will remember this + and make allowances for it as I talk to you. + </p> + <p> + “I need not remind you that you have a grave responsibility on your + shoulders for so young a man, and that St. John's is the oldest parish in + the diocese.” + </p> + <p> + “I think I realize it, Mr. Parr,” said Hodder, gravely. “It was only the + opportunity of a larger work here that induced me to leave Bremerton.” + </p> + <p> + “Exactly,” agreed the banker. “The parish, I believe, is in good running + order—I do not think you will see the necessity for many—ahem—changes. + But we sadly needed an executive head. And, if I may say so, Mr. Hodder, + you strike me as a man of that type, who might have made a success in a + business career.” + </p> + <p> + The rector smiled again. + </p> + <p> + “I am sure you could pay me no higher compliment,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + For an instant Eldon Parr, as he stared at the clergyman, tightened his + lips,—lips that seemed peculiarly formed for compression. Then they + relaxed into what resembled a smile. If it were one, the other returned + it. + </p> + <p> + “Seriously,” Mr. Parr declared, “it does me good in these days to hear, + from a young man, such sound doctrine as you preach. I am not one of those + who believe in making concessions to agnostics and atheists. You were + entirely right, in my opinion, when you said that we who belong to the + Church—and of course you meant all orthodox Christians—should + stand by our faith as delivered by the saints. Of course,” he added, + smiling, “I should not insist upon the sublapsarian view of election which + I was taught in the Presbyterian Church as a boy.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder laughed, but did not interrupt. + </p> + <p> + “On the other hand,” Mr. Parr continued, “I have little patience with + clergymen who would make religion attractive. What does it amount to—luring + people into the churches on one pretext or another, sugar-coating the + pill? Salvation is a more serious matter. Let the churches stick to their + own. We have at St. John's a God-fearing, conservative congregation, which + does not believe in taking liberties with sound and established doctrine. + And I may confess to you, Mr. Hodder, that we were naturally not a little + anxious about Dr. Gilman's successor, that we should not get, in spite of + every precaution, a man tinged with the new and dangerous ideas so + prevalent, I regret to say, among the clergy. I need scarcely add that our + anxieties have been set at rest.” + </p> + <p> + “That,” said Hodder, “must be taken as a compliment to the dean of the + theological seminary from which I graduated.” + </p> + <p> + The financier stared again. But he decided that Mr. Hodder had not meant + to imply that he, Mr. Parr, was attempting to supersede the dean. The + answer had been modest. + </p> + <p> + “I take it for granted that you and I and all sensible men are happily. + agreed that the Church should remain where she is. Let the people come to + her. She should be, if I may so express it, the sheet anchor of society, + our bulwark against socialism, in spite of socialists who call themselves + ministers of God. The Church has lost ground—why? Because she has + given ground. The sanctity of private property is being menaced, + demagogues are crying out from the house-tops and inciting people against + the men who have made this country what it is, who have risked their + fortunes and their careers for the present prosperity. We have no longer + any right, it seems, to employ whom we will in our factories and our + railroads; we are not allowed to regulate our rates, although the risks + were all ours. Even the women are meddling,—they are not satisfied + to stay in the homes, where they belong. You agree with me?” + </p> + <p> + “As to the women,” said the rector, “I have to acknowledge that I have + never had any experience with the militant type of which you speak.” + </p> + <p> + “I pray God you may never have,” exclaimed Mr. Parr, with more feeling + than he had yet shown. + </p> + <p> + “Woman's suffrage, and what is called feminism in general, have never + penetrated to Bremerton. Indeed, I must confess to have been wholly out of + touch with the problems to which you refer, although of course I have been + aware of their existence.” + </p> + <p> + “You will meet them here,” said the banker, significantly. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” the rector replied thoughtfully, “I can see that. I know that the + problems here will be more complicated, more modern,—more difficult. + And I thoroughly agree with you that their ultimate solution is dependent + on Christianity. If I did not believe,—in spite of the evident fact + which you point out of the Church's lost ground, that her future will be + greater than her past, I should not be a clergyman.” + </p> + <p> + The quiet but firm note of faith was, not lost on the financier, and yet + was not he quite sure what was to be made of it? He had a faint and + fleeting sense of disquiet, which registered and was gone. + </p> + <p> + “I hope so,” he said vaguely, referring perhaps to the resuscitation of + which the rector spoke. He drummed on the table. “I'll go so far as to say + that I, too, think that the structure can be repaired. And I believe it is + the duty of the men of influence—all men of influence—to + assist. I don't say that men of influence are not factors in the Church + to-day, but I do say that they are not using the intelligence in this task + which they bring to bear, for instance, on their business.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps the clergy might help,” Hodder suggested, and added more + seriously, “I think that many of them are honestly trying to do so.” + </p> + <p> + “No doubt of it. Why is it,” Mr. Parr continued reflectively, “that + ministers as a whole are by no means the men they were? You will pardon my + frankness. When I was a boy, the minister was looked up to as an + intellectual and moral force to be reckoned with. I have heard it + assigned, as one reason, that in the last thirty years other careers have + opened up, careers that have proved much more attractive to young men of + ability.” + </p> + <p> + “Business careers?” inquired the rector. + </p> + <p> + “Precisely!” + </p> + <p> + “In other words,” said Hodder, with his curious smile, “the ministry gets + the men who can't succeed at anything else.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, that's putting it rather strong,” answered Mr. Parr, actually + reddening a little. “But come now, most young men would rather be a + railroad president than a bishop,—wouldn't they?” + </p> + <p> + “Most young men would,” agreed Hodder, quickly, “but they are not the + young men who ought to be bishops, you'll admit that.” + </p> + <p> + The financier, be it recorded to his credit, did not lack appreciation of + this thrust, and, for the first time, he laughed with something resembling + heartiness. This laughter, in which Hodder joined, seemed suddenly to put + them on a new footing—a little surprising to both. + </p> + <p> + “Come,” said the financier, rising, “I'm sure you like pictures, and + Langmaid tells me you have a fancy for first editions. Would you care to + go to the gallery?” + </p> + <p> + “By all means,” the rector assented. + </p> + <p> + Their footsteps, as they crossed the hardwood floors, echoed in the empty + house. After pausing to contemplate a Millet on the stair landing, they + came at last to the huge, silent gallery, where the soft but adequate + light fell upon many masterpieces, ancient and modern. And it was here, + while gazing at the Corots and Bonheurs, Lawrences, Romneys, Copleys, and + Halses, that Hodder's sense of their owner's isolation grew almost + overpowering Once, glancing over his shoulder at Mr. Parr, he surprised in + his eyes an expression almost of pain. + </p> + <p> + “These pictures must give you great pleasure,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Oh,” replied the banker, in a queer voice, “I'm always glad when any one + appreciates them. I never come in here alone.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not reply. They passed along to an upstairs sitting-room, which + must, Hodder thought, be directly over the dining-room. Between its + windows was a case containing priceless curios. + </p> + <p> + “My wife liked this room,” Mr. Parr explained, as he opened the case. When + they had inspected it, the rector stood for a moment gazing out at a + formal garden at the back of the house. The stalks of late flowers lay + withering, but here and there the leaves were still vivid, and clusters of + crimson berries gleamed in the autumn sunshine. A pergola ran down the + middle, and through denuded grape-vines he caught a glimpse, at the far + end, of sculptured figures and curving marble benches surrounding a pool. + </p> + <p> + “What a wonderful spot!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “My daughter Alison designed it.” + </p> + <p> + “She must have great talent,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + “She's gone to New York and become a landscape architect,” said his host + with a perceptible dryness. “Women in these days are apt to be everything + except what the Lord intended them to be.” + </p> + <p> + They went downstairs, and Hodder took his leave, although he felt an odd + reluctance to go. Mr. Parr rang the bell. + </p> + <p> + “I'll send you down in the motor,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I'd like the exercise of walking,” said the rector. “I begin to miss it + already, in the city.” + </p> + <p> + “You look as if you had taken a great deal of it,” Mr. Parr declared, + following him to the door. “I hope you'll drop in often. Even if I'm not + here, the gallery and the library are at your disposal.” + </p> + <p> + Their eyes met. + </p> + <p> + “You're very good,” Hodder replied, and went down the steps and through + the open doorway. + </p> + <p> + Lost in reflection, he walked eastward with long and rapid strides, + striving to reduce to order in his mind the impressions the visit had + given him, only to find them too complex, too complicated by unlooked-for + emotions. Before its occurrence, he had, in spite of an inherent common + sense, felt a little uneasiness over the prospective meeting with the + financier. And Nelson Langmaid had hinted, good-naturedly, that it was + his, Hodder's, business, to get on good terms with Mr. Parr—otherwise + the rectorship of St. John's might not prove abed of roses. Although the + lawyer had spoken with delicacy, he had once more misjudged his man—the + result being to put Hodder on his guard. He had been the more determined + not to cater to the banker. + </p> + <p> + The outcome of it all had been that the rector left him with a sense of + having crossed barriers forbidden to other men, and not understanding how + he had crossed them. Whether this incipient intimacy were ominous or + propitious, whether there were involved in it a germ (engendered by a + radical difference of temperament) capable of developing into future + conflict, he could not now decide. If Eldon Parr were Procrustes he, + Hodder, had fitted the bed, and to say the least, this was extraordinary, + if not a little disquieting. Now and again his thoughts reverted to the + garden, and to the woman who had made it. Why had she deserted? + </p> + <p> + At length, after he had been walking for nearly an hour, he halted and + looked about him. He was within a few blocks of the church, a little to + one side of Tower Street, the main east and west highway of the city, in + the midst of that district in which Mr. Parr had made the remark that + poverty was inevitable. Slovenly and depressing at noonday, it seemed now + frankly to have flung off its mask. Dusk was gathering, and with it a + smoke-stained fog that lent a sickly tinge to the lights. Women slunk by + him: the saloons, apparently closed, and many houses with veiled windows + betrayed secret and sinister gleams. In the midst of a block rose a tall, + pretentious though cheaply constructed building with the words “Hotel + Albert” in flaming electric letters above an archway. Once more his eye + read Dalton Street on a lamp.... + </p> + <p> + Hodder resumed his walk more slowly, and in a few minutes reached his + rooms in the parish house. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV. SOME RIDDLES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY + </h2> + <p> + I Although he found the complications of a modern city parish somewhat + bewildering, the new rector entered into his duties that winter with + apostolic zeal. He was aware of limitations and anomalies, but his faith + was boundless, his energy the subject of good-natured comment by his + vestry and parishioners, whose pressing invitations' to dinners he was + often compelled to refuse. There was in John Hodder something indefinable + that inflamed curiosity and left it unsatisfied. + </p> + <p> + His excuse for attending these dinners, which indeed were relaxing and + enjoyable, he found in the obvious duty of getting to know the most + important members of his congregation. But invariably he came away from + them with an inner sense of having been baffled in this object. With a few + exceptions, these modern people seemed to have no time for friendship in + the real meaning of the word, no desire to carry a relationship beyond a + certain point. Although he was their spiritual pastor, he knew less about + most of them at the end of the winter than their butlers and their maids. + </p> + <p> + They were kind, they were delightful, they were interested in him—he + occasionally thought—as a somewhat anachronistic phenomenon. They + petted, respected him, and deferred to him. He represented to them an + element in life they recognized, and which had its proper niche. What they + failed to acknowledge was his point of view—and this he was wise + enough not to press at dinner tables and in drawing-rooms—that + religion should have the penetrability of ether; that it should be the + absorbent of life. He did not have to commit the banality of reminding + them of this conviction of his at their own tables; he had sufficient + humour and penetration to credit them with knowing it. Nay, he went + farther in his unsuspected analysis, and perceived that these beliefs made + one of his chief attractions for them. It was pleasant to have authority + in a black coat at one's board; to defer, if not to bend to it. The + traditions of fashion demanded a clergyman in the milieu, and the more + tenaciously he clung to his prerogatives, the better they liked it. + </p> + <p> + Although they were conscious of a certain pressure, which they gently + resisted, they did not divine that the radiating and rugged young man + cherished serious designs upon them. He did not expect to transform the + world in a day, especially the modern world. He was biding his time, + awaiting individual opportunities. + </p> + <p> + They talked to him of the parish work, congratulated him on the vigour + with which he had attacked it, and often declared themselves jealous of it + because it claimed too much of him. Dear Dr. Gilman, they said, had had + neither the strength nor the perception of 'modern needs; and McCrae, the + first assistant clergyman, while a good man, was a plodder and lacking in + imagination. They talked sympathetically about the problems of the poor. + And some of them—particularly Mrs. Wallis Plimpton were inclined to + think Hodder's replies a trifle noncommittal. The trouble, although he did + not tell them so, was that he himself had by no means solved the problem. + And he felt a certain reluctance to discuss the riddle of poverty over + champagne and porcelain. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Plimpton and Mrs. Constable, Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. Langmaid, Mrs. + Larrabbee, Mrs. Atterbury, Mrs. Grey, and many other ladies and their + daughters were honorary members of his guilds and societies, and found + time in their busy lives to decorate the church, adorn the altar, care for + the vestments, and visit the parish house. Some of them did more: Mrs. + Larrabbee, for instance, when she was in town, often graced the girls' + classes with her presence, which was a little disquieting to the daughters + of immigrants: a little disquieting, too, to John Hodder. During the three + years that had elapsed since Mr. Larrabbee's death, she had, with + characteristic grace and ease, taken up philanthropy; become, in + particular, the feminine patron saint of Galt House, non-sectarian, a + rescue home for the erring of her sex. + </p> + <p> + There were, too, in this higher realm of wealth in and out of which Hodder + plunged, women like Mrs. Constable (much older than Mrs. Larrabbee) with + whom philanthropy and what is known as “church work” had become second + nature in a well-ordered life, and who attended with praiseworthy + regularity the meetings of charitable boards and committees, not + infrequently taking an interest in individuals in Mr. Hodder's classes. + With her, on occasions, he did discuss such matters, only to come away + from her with his bewilderment deepened. + </p> + <p> + It was only natural that he should have his moods of depression. But the + recurrent flow of his energy swept them away. Cynicism had no place in his + militant Christianity, and yet there were times when he wondered whether + these good people really wished achievements from their rector. They had + the air of saying “Bravo!” and then of turning away. And he did not + conceal from himself that he was really doing nothing but labour. The + distances were great; and between his dinner parties, classes, services, + and visits, he was forced to sit far into the night preparing his sermons, + when his brain was not so keen as it might have been. Indeed—and + this thought was cynical and out of character—he asked himself on + one occasion whether his principal achievement so far had not consisted in + getting on unusual terms with Eldon Parr. They were not lacking who + thought so, and who did not hesitate to imply it. They evidently regarded + his growing intimacy with the banker with approval, as in some sort a + supreme qualification for a rector of St. John's, and a proof of unusual + abilities. There could be no question, for instance, that he had advanced + perceptibly in the estimation of the wife of another of his vestrymen, + Mrs. Wallis Plimpton. + </p> + <p> + The daughter of Thurston Gore, with all her astuteness and real estate, + was of a naivete in regard to spiritual matters that Hodder had grown to + recognize as impermeable. In an evening gown, with a string of large + pearls testing on her firm and glowing neck, she appeared a concrete + refutation of the notion of rebirth, the triumph of an unconscious + philosophy of material common-sense. However, in parish house affairs, + Hodder had found her practical brain of no slight assistance. + </p> + <p> + “I think it quite wonderful,” she remarked, on the occasion at which he + was the guest of honour in what was still called the new Gore mansion, + “that you have come to know Mr. Parr so well in such a short time. How did + you do it, Mr. Hodder? Of course Wallis knows him, and sees a great deal + of him in business matters. He relies on Wallis. But they tell me you have + grown more intimate with him than any one has been since Alison left him.” + </p> + <p> + There is, in Proverbs or Ecclesiastes, a formula for answering people in + accordance with their point of view. The rector modestly disclaimed + intimacy. And he curbed his curiosity about Alison for the reason that he + preferred to hear her story from another source. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, but you are intimate!” Mrs. Plimpton protested. “Everybody says so—that + Mr. Parr sends for you all the time. What is he like when he's alone, and + relaxed? Is he ever relaxed?” The lady had a habit of not waiting for + answers to her questions. “Do you know, it stirs my imagination + tremendously when I think of all the power that man has. I suppose you + know he has become one of a very small group of men who control this + country, and naturally he has been cruelly maligned. All he has to do is + to say a word to his secretary, and he can make men or ruin them. It isn't + that he does ruin them—I don't mean that. He uses his wealth, Wallis + says, to maintain the prosperity of the nation! He feels his trusteeship. + And he is so generous! He has given a great deal to the church, and now,” + she added, “I am sure he will give more.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was appalled. He felt helpless before the weight of this onslaught. + </p> + <p> + “I dare say he will continue to assist, as he has in the past,” he managed + to say. + </p> + <p> + “Of course it's your disinterestedness,” she proclaimed, examining him + frankly. “He feels that you don't want anything. You always strike me as + so splendidly impartial, Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + Fortunately, he was spared an answer. Mr. Plimpton, who was wont to apply + his gifts as a toastmaster to his own festivals, hailed him from the other + end of the table. + </p> + <p> + And Nelson Langmaid, who had fallen into the habit of dropping into + Hodder's rooms in the parish house on his way uptown for a chat about + books, had been struck by the rector's friendship with the banker. + </p> + <p> + “I don't understand how you managed it, Hodder, in such a short time,” he + declared. “Mr. Parr's a difficult man. In all these years, I've been + closer to him than any one else, and I don't know him today half as well + as you do.” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't manage it,” said Hodder, briefly. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” replied the lawyer, quizzically, “you needn't eat me up. I'm sure + you didn't do it on purpose. If you had,—to use a Hibernian phrase,—you + never would have done it. I've seen it tried before. To tell you the + truth, after I'd come back from Bremerton, that was the one thing I was + afraid of—that you mightn't get along with him.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder himself was at a loss to account for the relationship. It troubled + him vaguely, for Mr. Parr was the aggressor; and often at dusk, when + Hodder was working under his study lamp, the telephone would ring, and on + taking down the receiver he would hear the banker's voice. “I'm alone + to-night, Mr. Hodder. Will you come and have dinner with me?” + </p> + <p> + Had he known it, this was a different method of communication than that + which the financier usually employed, one which should have flattered him. + If Wallis Plimpton, for instance, had received such a personal message, + the fact would not have remained unknown the next day at his club. + Sometimes it was impossible for Hodder to go, and he said so; but he + always went when he could. + </p> + <p> + The unwonted note of appeal (which the telephone seemed somehow to + enhance) in Mr. Parr's voice, never failed to find a response in the + rector's heart, and he would ponder over it as he walked across to Tower + Street to take the electric car for the six-mile trip westward. + </p> + <p> + This note of appeal he inevitably contrasted with the dry, matter-of-fact + reserve of his greeting at the great house, which loomed all the greater + in the darkness. Unsatisfactory, from many points of view, as these + evenings were, they served to keep whetted Hodder's curiosity as to the + life of this extraordinary man. All of its vaster significance for the + world, its tremendous machinery, was out of his sight. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr seemed indeed to regard the rest of his fellow-creatures with the + suspicion at which Langmaid had hinted, to look askance at the amenities + people tentatively held out to him. And the private watchman whom Hodder + sometimes met in the darkness, and who invariably scrutinized pedestrians + on Park Street, seemed symbolic, of this attitude. On rare occasions, when + in town, the financier dined out, limiting himself to a few houses. + </p> + <p> + Once in a long while he attended what are known as banquets, such as those + given by the Chamber of Commerce, though he generally refused to speak. + Hodder, through Mr. Parr's intervention, had gone to one of these, ably + and breezily presided over by the versatile Mr. Plimpton. + </p> + <p> + Hodder felt not only curiosity and sympathy, but a vexing sense of the + fruitlessness of his visits to Park Street. Mr. Parr seemed to like to + have him there. And the very fact that the conversation rarely took any + vital turn oddly contributed to the increasing permanence of the lien. To + venture on any topic relating to the affairs of the day were merely to + summon forth the banker's dogmatism, and Hodder's own opinions on such + matters were now in a strange and unsettled state. Mr. Parr liked best to + talk of his treasures, and of the circumstances during his trips abroad + that had led to their acquirement. Once the banker had asked him about + parish house matters. + </p> + <p> + “I'm told you're working very hard—stirring up McCrae. He needs it.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm only trying to study the situation,” Hodder replied. “I don't think + you quite do justice to McCrae,” he added; “he's very faithful, and seems + to understand those people thoroughly.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr smiled. + </p> + <p> + “And what conclusions have you come to? If you think the system should be + enlarged and reorganized I am willing at any time to go over it with you, + with a view to making an additional contribution. Personally, while I have + sympathy for the unfortunate, I'm not at all sure that much of the energy + and money put into the institutional work of churches isn't wasted.” + </p> + <p> + “I haven't come to any conclusions—yet,” said the rector, with a + touch of sadness. “Perhaps I demand too much—expect too much.” + </p> + <p> + The financier, deep in his leather chair under the shaded light, the tips + of his fingers pressed together, regarded the younger man thoughtfully, + but the smile lingered in his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “I told you you would meet problems,” he said. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Hodder's cosmos might have been compared, indeed, to that set forth in the + Ptolemaic theory of the ancients. Like a cleverly carved Chinese object of + ivory in the banker's collection, it was a system of spheres, touching, + concentric, yet separate. In an outer space swung Mr. Parr; then came the + scarcely less rarefied atmosphere of the Constables and Atterburys, + Fergusons, Plimptons, Langmaids, Prestons, Larrabbees, Greys, and Gores, + and then a smaller sphere which claims but a passing mention. There were, + in the congregation of St. John's, a few people of moderate means whose + houses or apartments the rector visited; people to whom modern life was + increasingly perplexing. + </p> + <p> + In these ranks were certain maiden ladies and widows who found in church + work an outlet to an otherwise circumscribed existence. Hodder met them + continually in his daily rounds. There were people like the Bradleys, who + rented half a pew and never missed a Sunday; Mr. Bradley, an elderly man + whose children had scattered, was an upper clerk in one of Mr. Parr's + trust companies: there were bachelors and young women, married or single, + who taught in the Sunday school or helped with the night classes. For the + most part, all of these mentioned above belonged to an element that once + had had a comfortable and well-recognized place in the community, yet had + somehow been displaced. Many of them were connected by blood with more + fortunate parishioners, but economic pressure had scattered them + throughout new neighbourhoods and suburbs. Tradition still bound them to + St. John's. + </p> + <p> + With no fixed orbit, the rector cut at random through all of these strata, + and into a fourth. Not very far into it, for this apparently went down to + limitless depths, the very contemplation of which made him dizzy. The + parish house seemed to float precariously on its surface. + </p> + <p> + Owing partly to the old-fashioned ideas of Dr. Gilman, and partly to the + conservatism of its vestry, the institutionalism of St. John's was by no + means up to date. No settlement house, with day nurseries, was maintained + in the slums. The parish house, built in the early nineties, had its + gymnasium hall and class and reading rooms, but was not what in these + rapidly moving times would be called modern. Presiding over its + activities, and seconded by a pale, but earnest young man recently + ordained, was Hodder's first assistant, the Reverend Mr. McCrae. + </p> + <p> + McCrae was another puzzle. He was fifty and gaunt, with a wide flat + forehead and thinning, grey hair, and wore steel spectacles. He had a + numerous family. His speech, of which he was sparing, bore strong traces + of a Caledonian accent. And this, with the addition of the fact that he + was painstaking and methodical in his duties, and that his sermons were + orthodox in the sense that they were extremely non-committal, was all that + Hodder knew about him for many months. He never doubted, however, the + man's sincerity and loyalty. + </p> + <p> + But McCrae had a peculiar effect on him, and as time went on, his + conviction deepened that his assistant was watching him. The fact that + this tacit criticism did not seem unkindly did not greatly alleviate the + impatience that he felt from time to time. He had formed a higher estimate + of McCrae's abilities than that generally prevailing throughout the + parish; and in spite of, perhaps because of his attitude, was drawn toward + the man. This attitude, as Hodder analyzed it from the expressions he + occasionally surprised on his assistant's face, was one of tolerance and + experience, contemplating, with a faint amusement and a certain regret, + the wasteful expenditure of youthful vitality. Yet it involved more. + McCrae looked as if he knew—knew many things that he deemed it + necessary for the new rector to find out by experience. + </p> + <p> + But he was a difficult man to talk to. + </p> + <p> + If the truth be told, the more Hodder became absorbed in these activities + of the parish house, the greater grew his perplexity, the more acute his + feeling of incompleteness; or rather, his sense that the principle was + somehow fundamentally at fault. Out of the waters of the proletariat they + fished, assiduously and benignly, but at random, strange specimens! + brought them, as it were, blinking to the light, and held them by sheer + struggling. And sometimes, when they slipped away, dived after them. The + young curate, Mr. Tompkinson, for the most part did the diving; or, in + scriptural language, the searching after the lost sheep. + </p> + <p> + The results accomplished seemed indeed, as Mr. Parr had remarked, + strangely disproportionate to the efforts, for they laboured abundantly. + The Italian mothers appeared stolidly appreciative of the altruism of Miss + Ramsay, who taught the kindergarten, in taking their charges off their + hands for three hours of a morning, and the same might be said of the Jews + and Germans and Russians. The newsboys enjoyed the gymnasium and + reading-rooms: some of them were drafted into the choir, yet the singing + of Te Deums failed somehow to accomplish the miracle of regeneration. The + boys, as a rule, were happier, no doubt; the new environments not wholly + without results. But the rector was an idealist. + </p> + <p> + He strove hard to become their friend, and that of the men; to win their + confidence, and with a considerable measure of success. On more than one + occasion he threw aside his clerical coat and put on boxing-gloves, and he + gave a series of lectures, with lantern slides, collected during the six + months he had once spent in Europe. The Irish-Americans and the Germans + were the readiest to respond, and these were for the most part young + workingmen and youths by no means destitute. When they were out of a + place, he would often run across them in the reading-room or sitting among + the lockers beside the gymnasium, and they would rise and talk to him + cordially and even familiarly about their affairs. They liked and trusted + him—on a tacit condition. There was a boundary he might not cross. + And the existence of that boundary did not seem to trouble McCrae. + </p> + <p> + One night as he stood with his assistant in the hall after the men had + gone, Hodder could contain himself no longer. + </p> + <p> + “Look here, McCrae,” he broke out, “these men never come to church—or + only a very few of them.” + </p> + <p> + “No more they do,” McCrae agreed. + </p> + <p> + “Why don't they?” + </p> + <p> + “Ye've asked them, perhaps.” + </p> + <p> + “I've spoken to one or two of them,” admitted the rector. + </p> + <p> + “And what do they tell you?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder smiled. + </p> + <p> + “They don't tell me anything. They dodge.” + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” said McCrae. + </p> + <p> + “We're not making Christians of them,” said Hodder, beginning to walk up + and down. “Why is it?” + </p> + <p> + “It's a big question.” + </p> + <p> + “It is a big question. It's the question of all questions, it seems to me. + The function of the Church, in my opinion, is to make Christians.” + </p> + <p> + “Try to teach them religion,” said McCrae—he almost pronounced it + releegion—“and see what happens. Ye'll have no classes at all. They + only come, the best of them, because ye let them alone that way, and they + get a little decency and society help. It's somewhat to keep them out of + the dance-halls and saloons maybe.” + </p> + <p> + “It's not enough,” the rector asserted. “You've had a great deal of + experience with them. And I want to know why, in your view, more of them + don't come into the Church.” + </p> + <p> + “Would ye put Jimmy Flanagan and Otto Bauer and Tony Baldassaro in Mr. + Parr's pew?” McCrae inquired, with a slight flavour of irony that was not + ill-natured. “Or perhaps Mrs. Larrabbee would make room for them?” + </p> + <p> + “I've considered that, of course,” replied Hodder, thoughtfully, though he + was a little surprised that McCrae should have mentioned it. “You think + their reasons are social, then,—that they feel the gap. I feel it + myself most strongly. And yet none of these men are Socialists. If they + were, they wouldn't come here to the parish house.” + </p> + <p> + “They're not Socialists,” agreed McCrae. + </p> + <p> + “But there is room in the back and sides of the church, and there is the + early service and the Sunday night service, when the pews are free. Why + don't they come to these?” + </p> + <p> + “Religion doesn't appeal to them.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” + </p> + <p> + “Ye've asked me a riddle. All I know is that the minute ye begin to + preach, off they go and never come back.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder, with unconscious fixity, looked into his assistant's honest face. + He had an exasperating notion that McCrae might have said more, if he + would. + </p> + <p> + “Haven't you a theory?” + </p> + <p> + “Try yourself,” said McCrae. His manner was abrupt, yet oddly enough, not + ungracious. + </p> + <p> + “Don't think I'm criticizing,” said the rector, quickly. + </p> + <p> + “I know well ye're not.” + </p> + <p> + “I've been trying to learn. It seems to me that we are only accomplishing + half our task, and I know that St. John's is not unique in this respect. + I've been talking to Andrews, of Trinity, about their poor.” + </p> + <p> + “Does he give you a remedy?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” Hodder said. “He can't see any more than I can why Christianity + doesn't appeal any longer. The fathers and mothers of these people went to + church, in the old country and in this. Of course he sees, as you and I + do, that society has settled into layers, and that the layers won't mix. + And he seems to agree with me that there is a good deal of energy exerted + for a comparatively small return.” + </p> + <p> + “I understand that's what Mr. Parr says.” + </p> + <p> + These references to Mr. Parr disturbed Hodder. He had sometimes wondered, + when he had been compelled to speak about his visits to the financier, how + McCrae regarded them. He was sure that McCrae did regard them. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr is willing to be even more generous than he has been,” Hodder + said. “The point is, whether it's wise to enlarge our scope on the present + plan. What do you think?” + </p> + <p> + “Ye can reach more,” McCrae spoke without enthusiasm. + </p> + <p> + “What's the use of reaching them, only to touch them? In addition to being + helped materially and socially, and kept away from the dance-halls and + saloons, they ought to be fired by the Gospels, to be remade. They should + be going out into the highways and byways to bring others into the + church.” + </p> + <p> + The Scotchman's face changed a little. For an instant his eyes lighted up, + whether in sympathy or commiseration or both, Hodder could not tell. + </p> + <p> + “I'm with ye, Mr. Hodder, if ye'll show me the way. But oughtn't we to + begin at both ends?” + </p> + <p> + “At both ends?” Hodder repeated. + </p> + <p> + “Surely. With the people in the pews? Oughtn't we to be firing them, too?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the rector. “You're right.” + </p> + <p> + He turned away, to feel McCrae's hand on his sleeve. + </p> + <p> + “Maybe it will come, Mr. Hodder,” he said. “There's no telling when the + light will strike in.” + </p> + <p> + It was the nearest to optimism he had ever known his assistant to + approach. + </p> + <p> + “McCrae,” he asked, “have you ever tried to do anything with Dalton + Street?” + </p> + <p> + “Dalton Street?” + </p> + <p> + The real McCrae, whom he had seemed to see emerging, retired abruptly, + presenting his former baffling and noncommittal exterior. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” Hodder forced himself to go on, and it came to him that he had + repeated virtually the same words to Mr. Parr, “it is at our very doors, a + continual reproach. There is real poverty in those rooming houses, and I + have never seen vice so defiant and shameless.” + </p> + <p> + “It's a shifty place, that,” McCrae replied. “They're in it one day and + gone the next, a sort of catch-basin for all the rubbish of the city. I + can recall when decent people lived there, and now it's all light + housekeeping and dives and what not.” + </p> + <p> + “But that doesn't relieve us of responsibility,” Hodder observed. + </p> + <p> + “I'm not denying it. I think ye'll find there's very little to get hold + of.” + </p> + <p> + Once more, he had the air of stopping short, of being able to say more. + Hodder refrained from pressing him. + </p> + <p> + Dalton Street continued to haunt him. And often at nightfall, as he + hurried back to his bright rooms in the parish house from some of the many + errands that absorbed his time, he had a feeling of self-accusation as he + avoided women wearily treading the pavements, or girls and children + plodding homeward through the wet, wintry streets. Some glanced at him + with heavy eyes, others passed sullenly, with bent heads. At such moments + his sense of helplessness was overpowering. He could not follow them to + the dreary dwellings where they lodged. + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr had said that poverty was inevitable. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 2. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V. THE RECTOR HAS MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Sunday after Sunday Hodder looked upon the same picture, the winter light + filtering through emblazoned windows, falling athwart stone pillars, and + staining with rich colours the marble of the centre aisle. The organ + rolled out hymns and anthems, the voices of the white robed choir echoed + among the arches. And Hodder's eye, sweeping over the decorous + congregation, grew to recognize certain landmarks: Eldon Parr, rigid at + one end of his empty pew; little Everett Constable, comfortably, but + always pompously settled at one end of his, his white-haired and + distinguished-looking wife at the other. The space between them had once + been filled by their children. There was Mr. Ferguson, who occasionally + stroked his black whiskers with a prodigious solemnity; Mrs. Ferguson, + resplendent and always a little warm, and their daughter Nan, dainty and + appealing, her eyes uplifted and questioning. + </p> + <p> + The Plimptons, with their rubicund and aggressively healthy offspring, + were always in evidence. And there was Mrs. Larrabbee. What between wealth + and youth, independence and initiative, a widowhood now emerged from a + mourning unexceptionable, an elegance so unobtrusive as to border on + mystery, she never failed to agitate any atmosphere she entered, even that + of prayer. From time to time, Hodder himself was uncomfortably aware of + her presence, and he read in her upturned face an interest which, by a + little stretch of the imagination, might have been deemed personal.... + </p> + <p> + Another was Gordon Atterbury, still known as “young Gordon,” though his + father was dead, and he was in the vestry. He was unmarried and + forty-five, and Mrs. Larrabbee had said he reminded her of a shrivelling + seed set aside from a once fruitful crop. He wore, invariably, checked + trousers and a black cutaway coat, eyeglasses that fell off when he + squinted, and were saved from destruction by a gold chain. No wedding or + funeral was complete without him. And one morning, as he joined Mr. Parr + and the other gentlemen who responded to the appeal, “Let your light so + shine before men,” a strange, ironical question entered the rector's mind—was + Gordon Atterbury the logical product of those doctrines which he, Hodder, + preached with such feeling and conviction? + </p> + <p> + None, at least, was so fervent a defender of the faith, so punctilious in + all observances, so constant at the altar rail; none so versed in rubrics, + ritual, and canon law; none had such a knowledge of the Church fathers. + Mr. Atterbury delighted to discuss them with the rector at the dinner + parties where they met; none was more zealous for foreign missions. He was + the treasurer of St. John's. + </p> + <p> + It should undoubtedly have been a consolation to any rector to possess Mr. + Atterbury's unqualified approval, to listen to his somewhat delphic + compliments,—heralded by a clearing of the throat. He represented + the faith as delivered to the saints, and he spoke for those in the + congregation to whom it was precious. Why was it that, to Hodder, he + should gradually have assumed something of the aspect of a Cerberus? Why + was it that he incited a perverse desire to utter heresies? + </p> + <p> + Hodder invariably turned from his contemplation of Gordon Atterbury to the + double blaring pew, which went from aisle to aisle. In his heart, he would + have preferred the approval of Eleanor Goodrich and her husband, and of + Asa Waring. Instinct spoke to him here; he seemed to read in their faces + that he failed to strike in them responsive chords. He was drawn to them: + the conviction grew upon him that he did not reach them, and it troubled + him, as he thought, disproportionately. + </p> + <p> + He could not expect to reach all. But they were the type to which he most + wished to appeal; of all of his flock, this family seemed best to preserve + the vitality and ideals of the city and nation. Asa Waring was a splendid, + uncompromising survival; his piercing eyes sometimes met Hodder's across + the church, and they held for him a question and a riddle. Eleanor + Goodrich bore on her features the stamp of true nobility of character, and + her husband, Hodder knew, was a man among men. In addition to a respected + lineage, he possessed an unusual blending of aggressiveness and personal + charm that men found irresistible. + </p> + <p> + The rector's office in the parish house was a businesslike room on the + first floor, fitted up with a desk, a table, straight-backed chairs, and a + revolving bookcase. And to it, one windy morning in March, came Eleanor + Goodrich. Hodder rose to greet her with an eagerness which, from his + kindly yet penetrating glance, she did not suspect. + </p> + <p> + “Am I interrupting you, Mr. Hodder?” she asked, a little breathlessly. + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” he said, drawing up a chair. “Won't you sit down?” + </p> + <p> + She obeyed. There was an awkward pause during which the colour slowly rose + to her face. + </p> + <p> + “I wanted to ask you one or two things,” she began, not very steadily. “As + perhaps you may know, I was brought up in this church, baptized and + confirmed in it. I've come to fear that, when I was confirmed, I wasn't + old enough to know what I was doing.” + </p> + <p> + She took a deep breath, amazed at her boldness, for this wasn't in the + least how she had meant to begin. And she gazed at the rector anxiously. + To her surprise, he did not appear to be inordinately shocked. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know any better now?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps not,” she admitted. “But the things of which I was sure at that + time I am not sure of now. My faith is—is not as complete.” + </p> + <p> + “Faith may be likened to an egg, Mrs. Goodrich,” he said. “It must be kept + whole. If the shell is chipped, it is spoiled.” + </p> + <p> + Eleanor plucked up her courage. Eggs, she declared, had been used as + illustrations by conservatives before now. + </p> + <p> + Hodder relieved her by smiling in ready appreciation. + </p> + <p> + “Columbus had reference to this world,” he said. “I was thinking of a more + perfect cue.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” she cried, “I dare say there is a more perfect one. I should hate to + think there wasn't—but I can't imagine it. There's nothing in the + Bible in the way of description of it to make me really wish to go there. + The New Jerusalem is too insipid, too material. I'm sure I'm shocking you, + but I must be honest, and say what I feel.” + </p> + <p> + “If some others were as honest,” said the rector, “the problems of + clergymen would be much easier. And it is precisely because people will + not tell us what they feel that we are left in the dark and cannot help + them. Of course, the language of St. John about the future is figurative.” + </p> + <p> + “Figurative,—yes,” she consented, “but not figurative in a way that + helps me, a modern American woman. The figures, to be of any use, ought to + appeal to my imagination—oughtn't they? But they don't. I can't see + any utility in such a heaven—it seems powerless to enter as a factor + into my life.” + </p> + <p> + “It is probable that we are not meant to know anything about the future.” + </p> + <p> + “Then I wish it hadn't been made so explicit. Its very definiteness is + somehow—stultifying. And, Mr. Hodder, if we were not meant to know + its details, it seems to me that if the hereafter is to have any real + value and influence over our lives here, we should know something of its + conditions, because it must be in some sense a continuation of this. I'm + not sure that I make myself clear.” + </p> + <p> + “Admirably clear. But we have our Lord's example of how to live here.” + </p> + <p> + “If we could be sure,” said Eleanor, “just what that example meant.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was silent a moment. + </p> + <p> + “You mean that you cannot accept what the Church teaches about his life?” + he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, I can't,” she faltered. “You have helped me to say it. I want to have + the Church's side better explained,—that's why I'm here.” She + glanced up at him, hesitatingly, with a puzzled wonder, such a positive, + dynamic representative of that teaching did he appear. “And my husband + can't,—so many people I know can't, Mr. Hodder. Only, some of them + don't mention the fact. They accept it. And you say things with such a + certainty—” she paused. + </p> + <p> + “I know,” he replied, “I know. I have felt it since I have come here more + than ever before.” He did not add that he had felt it particularly about + her, about her husband: nor did he give voice to his instinctive + conviction that he respected and admired these two more than a hundred + others whose professed orthodoxy was without a flaw. “What is it in + particular,” he asked, troubled, “that you cannot accept? I will do my + best to help you.” + </p> + <p> + “Well—” she hesitated again. + </p> + <p> + “Please continue to be frank,” he begged. + </p> + <p> + “I can't believe in the doctrine of the virgin birth,” she responded in a + low voice; “it seems to me so—so material. And I feel I am stating a + difficulty that many have, Mr. Hodder. Why should it have been thought + necessary for God to have departed from what is really a sacred and + sublime fact in nature, to resort to a material proof in order to convince + a doubting humanity that Jesus was his Son? Oughtn't the proof of Christ's + essential God-ship to lie in his life, to be discerned by the spiritual; + and wasn't he continually rebuking those who demanded material proof? The + very acceptance of a material proof, it seems to me, is a denial of faith, + since faith ceases to have any worth whatever the moment the demand for + such proof is gratified. Knowledge puts faith out of the question, for + faith to me means a trusting on spiritual grounds. And surely the + acceptance of scriptural statements like that of the miraculous birth + without investigation is not faith—it is mere credulity. If Jesus + had been born in a miraculous way, the disciples must have known it. + Joseph must have known it when he heard the answer 'I must be about my + father's business,' and their doubts are unexplained.” + </p> + <p> + “I see you have been investigating,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” replied Eleanor, with an unconscious shade of defiance, “people + want to know, Mr. Dodder,—they want to know the truth. And if you + consider the preponderance of the evidence of the Gospels themselves—my + brother-in-law says—you will find that the miraculous birth has very + little to stand on. Take out the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke, + and the rest of the four Gospels practically contradict it. The + genealogies differ, and they both trace through Joseph.” + </p> + <p> + “I think people suffer in these days from giving too much weight to the + critics of Christianity,” said the rector, “from not pondering more deeply + on its underlying truths. Do not think that I am accusing you of + superficiality, Mrs. Goodrich; I am sure you wish to go to the bottom, or + else you would be satisfied with what you have already read and heard.” + </p> + <p> + “I do,” she murmured. + </p> + <p> + “And the more one reflects on the life of our Lord, the more one is + convinced that the doctrine of the virgin birth is a vital essential; + without it Christianity falls to pieces. Let us go at the matter the other + way round. If we attribute to our Lord a natural birth, we come at once to + the dilemma of having to admit that he was merely an individual human + person,—in an unsurpassed relationship with God, it is true, but + still a human person. That doctrine makes Christ historical, some one to + go back to, instead of the ever-present, preexistent Son of God and + mankind. I will go as far as to assert that if the virgin birth had never + been mentioned in the Gospels, it would nevertheless inevitably have + become a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. Such a truth is too + vast, too far-reaching to have been neglected, and it has a much higher + significance than the mere record of a fact. In spite of the + contradictions of science, it explains as nothing else can the mystery of + the divinity as well as the humanity of the Saviour.” + </p> + <p> + Eleanor was unconvinced. She felt, as she listened, the pressure of his + sincerity and force, and had to strive to prevent her thoughts from + becoming confused. + </p> + <p> + “No, Mr. Hodder, I simply can't see any reason for resorting to a physical + miracle in order to explain a spiritual mystery. I can see why the + ancients demanded a sign of divinity as it were. But for us it has ceased + even to be that. It can't be proved. You ask me, in the face of + overwhelming evidence against it, to teach my children that the + Incarnation depends on it, but when they grow up and go to college and + find it discredited they run the risk of losing everything else with it. + And for my part, I fail utterly to see why, if with God all things are + possible, it isn't quite as believable, as we gather from St. Mark's + Gospel, that he incarnated himself in one naturally born. If you reach the + conclusion that Jesus was not a mere individual human person, you reach it + through the contemplation of his life and death.” + </p> + <p> + “Then it isn't the physical miracle you object to, especially?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “It's the uselessness of it, for this age,” she exclaimed. “I think + clergymen don't understand the harm it is doing in concentrating the + attention on such a vulnerable and non-essential point. Those of us who + are striving to reorganize our beliefs and make them tenable, do not + bother our heads about miracles. They may be true, or may not, or some of + them may be. We are beginning to see that the virgin birth does not add + anything to Christ. We are beginning to see that perfection and + individuality are not incompatible,—one is divine, and the other + human. And isn't it by his very individuality that we are able to + recognize Jesus to-day?” + </p> + <p> + “You have evidently thought and read a great deal,” Dodder said, genuinely + surprised. “Why didn't you come to me earlier?” + </p> + <p> + Eleanor bit her lip. He smiled a little. + </p> + <p> + “I think I can answer that for you,” he went on; “you believe we are + prejudiced,—I've no doubt many of us are. You think we are bound to + stand up for certain dogmas, or go down, and that our minds are + consequently closed. I am not blaming you,” he added quickly, as she gave + a sign of protest, “but I assure you that most of us, so far as my + observation has gone, are honestly trying to proclaim the truth as we see + it.” + </p> + <p> + “Insincerity is the last thing I should have accused you of, Mr. Hodder,” + she said flushing. “As I told you, you seem so sure.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't pretend to infallibility, except so far as I maintain that the + Church is the guardian of certain truths which human experience has + verified. Let me ask you if you have thought out the difference your + conception of the Incarnation;—the lack of a patently divine + commission, as it were,—makes in the doctrine of grace?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I have,” she answered, “a little. It gives me more hope. I cannot + think I am totally depraved. I do not believe that God wishes me to think + so. And while I am still aware of the distance between Christ's perfection + and my own imperfection, I feel that the possibility is greater of + lessening that distance. It gives me more self-respect, more + self-reliance. George Bridges says that the logical conclusion of that old + doctrine is what philosophers call determinism—Calvinistic + predestination. I can't believe in that. The kind of grace God gives me is + the grace to help myself by drawing force from the element of him in my + soul. He gives me the satisfaction of developing.” + </p> + <p> + “Of one thing I am assured, Mrs. Goodrich,” Hodder replied, “that the + logical result of independent thinking is anarchy. Under this modern + tendency toward individual creeds, the Church has split and split again + until, if it keeps on, we shall have no Church at all to carry on the work + of our Lord on earth. History proves that to take anything away from the + faith is to atrophy, to destroy it. The answer to your arguments is to be + seen on every side, atheism, hypocrisy, vice, misery, insane and cruel + grasping after wealth. There is only one remedy I can see,” he added, + inflexibly, yet with a touch of sadness, “believe.” + </p> + <p> + “What if we can't believe?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “You can.” He spoke with unshaken conviction. + </p> + <p> + “You can if you make the effort, and I am sure you will. My experience is + that in the early stages of spiritual development we are impervious to + certain truths. Will you permit me to recommend to you certain books + dealing with these questions in a modern way?” + </p> + <p> + “I will read them gladly,” she said, and rose. + </p> + <p> + “And then, perhaps, we may have another talk,” he added, looking down at + her. “Give my regards to your husband.” + </p> + <p> + Yet, as he stood in the window looking after her retreating figure, there + gradually grew upon him a vague and uncomfortable feeling that he had not + been satisfactory, and this was curiously coupled with the realization + that the visit had added a considerable increment to his already + pronounced liking for Eleanor Goodrich. She was, paradoxically, his kind + of a person—such was the form the puzzle took. And so ably had she + presented her difficulties that, at one point of the discussion, it had + ironically occurred to him to refer her to Gordon Atterbury. Mr. + Atterbury's faith was like an egg, and he took precious care not to have + it broken or chipped. + </p> + <p> + Hodder found himself smiling. It was perhaps inevitable that he began at + once to contrast Mrs. Goodrich with other feminine parishioners who had + sought him out, and who had surrendered unconditionally. They had evinced + an equally disturbing tendency,—a willingness to be overborne. For + had he not, indeed, overborne them? He could not help suspecting these + other ladies of a craving for the luxury of the confessional. One thing + was certain,—he had much less respect for them than for Eleanor + Goodrich.... + </p> + <p> + That afternoon he sent her the list of books. But the weeks passed, and + she did not come back. Once, when he met her at a dinner of Mrs. + Preston's, both avoided the subject of her visit, both were conscious of a + constraint. She did not know how often, unseen by her, his eyes had sought + her out from the chancel. For she continued to come to church as + frequently as before, and often brought her husband. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + One bright and boisterous afternoon in March, Hodder alighted from an + electric car amid a swirl of dust and stood gazing for a moment at the + stone gate-houses of that 'rus in urbe', Waverley Place, and at the gold + block-letters written thereon, “No Thoroughfare.” Against those gates and + their contiguous grill the rude onward rush of the city had beaten in + vain, and, baffled, had swept around their serene enclosure, westward. + </p> + <p> + Within, a silvery sunlight lit up the grass of the island running down the + middle, and in the beds the softening earth had already been broken by the + crocus sheaves. The bare branches of the trees swayed in the gusts. As + Hodder penetrated this hallowed precinct he recognized, on either hand, + the residences of several of his parishioners, each in its ample allotted + space: Mrs. Larrabbee's; the Laureston Greys'; Thurston Gore's, of which + Mr. Wallis Plimpton was now the master,—Mr. Plimpton, before whose + pertinacity the walls of Jericho had fallen; and finally the queer, + twisted Richardson mansion of the Everett Constables, whither he was + bound, with its recessed doorway and tiny windows peeping out from under + mediaeval penthouses. + </p> + <p> + He was ushered into a library where the shades were already drawn, where + a-white-clothed tea-table was set before the fire, the red rays dancing on + the silver tea-kettle. On the centre-table he was always sure to find, + neatly set in a rack, the books about which the world was talking, or + rather would soon begin to talk; and beside them were ranged magazines; + French, English, and American, Punch, the Spectator, the Nation, the + 'Revue des deux Mondes'. Like the able general she was, Mrs. Constable + kept her communications open, and her acquaintance was by no means + confined to the city of her nativity. And if a celebrity were passing + through, it were pretty safe, if in doubt, to address him in her care. + </p> + <p> + Hodder liked and admired her, but somehow she gave him the impression of + having attained her ascendancy at a price, an ascendancy which had + apparently been gained by impressing upon her environment a new note—literary, + aesthetic, cosmopolitan. She held herself, and those she carried with her, + abreast of the times, and he was at a loss to see how so congenial an + effort could have left despite her sweetness—the little mark of + hardness he discerned, of worldliness. For she was as well born as any + woman in the city, and her husband was a Constable. He had inherited, so + the rector had been informed, one of those modest fortunes that were + deemed affluence in the eighties. His keeping abreast of the times was the + enigma, and Hodder had often wondered how financial genius had contrived + to house itself in the well-dressed, gently pompous little man whose lack + of force seemed at times so painfully evident. And yet he was rated one of + the rich men of the city, and his name Hodder had read on many boards with + Mr. Parr's! + </p> + <p> + A person more versed in the modern world of affairs than the late rector + of Bremerton would not have been so long in arriving at the answer to this + riddle. Hodder was astute, he saw into people more than they suspected, + but he was not sophisticated. + </p> + <p> + He stood picturing, now, the woman in answer to whose summons he had come. + With her finely chiselled features, her abundant white hair, her slim + figure and erect carriage she reminded him always of a Vigee Lebrun + portrait. He turned at the sound of her voice behind him. + </p> + <p> + “How good of you to come, Mr. Hodder, when you were so busy,” she said, + taking his hand as she seated herself behind the tea-kettle. “I wanted the + chance to talk to you, and it seemed the best way. What is that you have, + Soter's book?” + </p> + <p> + “I pinked it up on the table,” he explained. + </p> + <p> + “Then you haven't read it? You ought to. As a clergyman, it would interest + you. Religion treated from the economic side, you know, the effect of lack + of nutrition on character. Very unorthodox, of course.” + </p> + <p> + “I find that I have very little time to read,” he said. “I sometimes take + a book along in the cars.” + </p> + <p> + “Your profession is not so leisurely as it once was, I often think it such + a pity. But you, too, are paying the penalty of complexity.” She smiled at + him sympathetically. “How is Mr. Parr? I haven't seen him for several + weeks.” + </p> + <p> + “He seemed well when I saw him last,” replied Hodder. + </p> + <p> + “He's a wonderful man; the amount of work he accomplishes without apparent + effort is stupendous.” Mrs. Constable cast what seemed a tentative glance + at the powerful head, and handed him his tea. “I wanted to talk to you + about Gertrude,” she said. + </p> + <p> + He looked unenlightened. + </p> + <p> + “About my daughter, Mrs. Warren. She lives in New York, you know—on + Long Island.” + </p> + <p> + Then he had remembered something he had heard. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “She met you, at the Fergusons', just for a moment, when she was out here + last autumn. What really nice and simple people the Fergusons are, with + all their money!” + </p> + <p> + “Very nice indeed,” he agreed, puzzled. + </p> + <p> + “I have been sorry for them in the past,” she went on evenly. “They had + rather a hard time—perhaps you may have heard. Nobody appreciated + them. They were entombed, so to speak, in a hideous big house over on the + South Side, which fortunately burned down, and then they bought in Park + Street, and took a pew in St. John's. I suppose the idea of that huge + department store was rather difficult to get used to. But I made up my + mind it was nonsense to draw the line at department stores, especially + since Mr. Ferguson's was such a useful and remarkable one, so I went + across and called. Mrs. Ferguson was so grateful, it was almost pathetic. + And she's a very good friend—she came here everyday when Genevieve + had appendicitis.” + </p> + <p> + “She's a good woman,” the rector said. + </p> + <p> + “And Nan,—I adore Nan, everybody adores Nan. She reminds me of one + of those exquisite, blue-eyed dolls her father imports. Now if I were a + bachelor, Mr. Hodder—!” Mrs. Constable left the rest to his + imagination. + </p> + <p> + He smiled. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid Miss Ferguson has her own ideas.” Running through Hodder's + mind, a troubled current, were certain memories connected with Mrs. + Warren. Was she the divorced daughter, or was she not? + </p> + <p> + “But I was going to speak to you about Gertrude. She's had such a hard + time, poor dear, my heart has bled for her.” There was a barely + perceptible tremor in Mrs. Constable's voice. “All that publicity, and the + inevitable suffering connected with it! And no one can know the misery she + went through, she is so sensitive. But now, at last, she has a chance for + happiness—the real thing has come.” + </p> + <p> + “The real thing!” he echoed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. She's going to marry a splendid man, Eldridge Sumner. I know the + family well. They have always stood for public spirit, and this Mr. + Summer, although he is little over thirty, was chairman of that Vice + Commission which made such a stir in New York a year ago. He's a lawyer, + with a fine future, and they're madly in love. And Gertrude realizes now, + after her experience, the true values in life. She was only a child when + she married Victor Warren.” + </p> + <p> + “But Mr. Warren,” Hodder managed to say, “is still living.” + </p> + <p> + “I sometimes wonder, Mr. Hodder,” she went on hurriedly, “whether we can + realize how different the world is today from what it was twenty years + ago, until something of this kind is actually brought home to us. I shall + never forget how distressed, how overwhelmed Mr. Constable and I were when + Gertrude got her divorce. I know that they are regarding such things + differently in the East, but out here!—We never dreamed that such a + thing could happen to us, and we regarded it as a disgrace. But gradually—” + she hesitated, and looked at the motionless clergyman—“gradually I + began to see Gertrude's point of view, to understand that she had made a + mistake, that she had been too young to comprehend what she was doing. + Victor Warren had been ruined by money, he wasn't faithful to her, but an + extraordinary thing has happened in his case. He's married again, and + Gertrude tells me he's absurdly happy, and has two children.” + </p> + <p> + As he listened, Hodder's dominating feeling was amazement that such a + course as her daughter had taken should be condoned by this middle-aged + lady, a prominent member of his congregation and the wife of a vestryman, + who had been nurtured and steeped in Christianity. And not only that: Mrs. + Constable was plainly defending a further step, which in his opinion + involved a breach of the Seventh Commandment! To have invaded these + precincts, the muddy, turbulent river of individualism had risen higher + than he would have thought possible.... + </p> + <p> + “Wait!” she implored, checking his speech,—she had been watching him + with what was plainly anxiety, “don't say anything yet. I have a letter + here which she wrote me—at the time. I kept it. Let me read a part + of it to you, that you may understand more fully the tragedy of it.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Constable thrust her hand into her lap and drew forth a thickly + covered sheet. + </p> + <p> + “It was written just after she left him—it is an answer to my + protest,” she explained, and began to read: + </p> + <p> + “I know I promised to love Victor, mother, but how can one promise to do a + thing over which one has no control? I loved him after he stopped loving + me. He wasn't a bit suited to me—I see that now—he was + attracted by the outside of me, and I never knew what he was like until I + married him. His character seemed to change completely; he grew morose and + quick-tempered and secretive, and nothing I did pleased him. We led a + cat-and-dog life. I never let you know—and yet I see now we might + have got along in any other relationship. We were very friendly when we + parted, and I'm not a bit jealous because he cares for another woman who I + can see is much better suited to him. + </p> + <p> + “'I can't honestly regret leaving him, and I'm not conscious of having + done anything wrong. I don't want to shock you, and I know how terribly + you and father must feel, but I can see now, somehow, that I had to go + through this experience, terrible as it was, to find myself. If it were + thirty years ago, before people began to be liberal in such matters, I + shudder to think what might have become of me. I should now be one of + those terrible women between fifty and sixty who have tried one frivolity + and excess after another—but I'm not coming to that! And my friends + have really been awfully kind, and supported me—even Victor's + family. Don't, don't think that I'm not respectable! I know how you look + at such things.'” Mrs. Constable closed the letter abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “I did look at such things in that way,” she added, “but I've changed. + That letter helped to change me, and the fact that it was Gertrude who had + been through this. If you only knew Gertrude, Mr. Hodder, you couldn't + possibly think of her as anything but sweet and pure.” + </p> + <p> + Although the extent of Hodder's acquaintance with Mrs. Warren had been but + five minutes, the letter had surprisingly retouched to something like + brilliancy her faded portrait, the glow in her cheeks, the iris blue in + her eyes. He recalled the little shock he had experienced when told that + she was divorced, for her appeal had lain in her very freshness, her frank + and confiding manner. She was one of those women who seem to say, “Here I + am, you can't but like me:” And he had responded—he remembered that—he + had liked her. And now her letter, despite his resistance, had made its + appeal, so genuinely human was it, so honest, although it expressed a + philosophy he abhorred. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Constable was watching him mutely, striving to read in his grave eyes + the effect of her pleadings. + </p> + <p> + “You are telling me this, Mrs. Constable—why?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Because I wished you to know the exact situation before I asked you, as a + great favour to me, to Mr. Constable, to—to marry her in St. John's. + Of course,” she went on, controlling her rising agitation, and + anticipating a sign of protest, “we shouldn't expect to have any people,—-and + Gertrude wasn't married in St. John's before; that wedding was at + Passumset our seashore place. Oh, Mr. Hodder, before you answer, think of + our feelings, Mr. Constable's and mine! If you could see Mr. Constable, + you would know how he suffers—this thing has upset him more than the + divorce. His family have such pride. I am so worried about him, and he + doesn't eat anything and looks so haggard. I told him I would see you and + explain and that seemed to comfort him a little. She is, after all, our + child, and we don't want to feel, so far as our church is concerned, that + she is an Ishmaelite; we don't want to have the spectacle of her having to + go around, outside, to find a clergyman—that would be too dreadful! + I know how strict, how unflinching you are, and I admire you for it. But + this is a special case.” + </p> + <p> + She paused, breathing deeply, and Hodder gazed at her with pity. What he + felt was more than pity; he was experiencing, indeed, but with a deeper + emotion, something of that same confusion of values into which Eleanor + Goodrich's visit had thrown him. At the same time it had not escaped his + logical mind that Mrs. Constable had made her final plea on the score of + respectability. + </p> + <p> + “It gives me great pain to have to refuse you,” he said gently. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, don't,” she said sharply, “don't say that! I can't have made the case + clear. You are too big, too comprehending, Mr. Hodder, to have a + hard-and-fast rule. There must be times—extenuating circumstances—and + I believe the canons make it optional for a clergyman to marry the + innocent person.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it is optional, but I do, not believe it should be. The question is + left to the clergyman's' conscience. According to my view, Mrs. Constable, + the Church, as the agent of God, effects an indissoluble bond. And much as + I should like to do anything in my power for you and Mr. Constable, you + have asked the impossible,—believing as I do, there can be no + special case, no extenuating circumstance. And it is my duty to tell you + it is because people to-day are losing their beliefs that we have this + lenient attitude toward the sacred things. If they still held the + conviction that marriage is of God, they would labour to make it a + success, instead of flying apart at the first sign of what they choose to + call incompatibility.” + </p> + <p> + “But surely,” she said, “we ought not to be punished for our mistakes! I + cannot believe that Christ himself intended that his religion should be so + inelastic, so hard and fast, so cruel as you imply. Surely there is enough + unhappiness without making more. You speak of incompatibility—but is + it in all cases such an insignificant matter? We are beginning to realize + in these days something of the effects of character on character,—deteriorating + effects, in many instances. With certain persons we are lifted up, + inspired to face the battle of life and overcome its difficulties. I have + known fine men and women whose lives have been stultified or ruined + because they were badly mated. And I cannot see that the character of my + own daughter has deteriorated because she has got a divorce from a man + with whom she was profoundly out of sympathy—of harmony. On the + contrary, she seems more of a person than she was; she has clearer, saner + views of life; she has made her mistake and profited by it. Her views + changed—Victor Warren's did not. She began to realize that some + other woman might have an influence over his life—she had none, + simply because he did not love her. And love is not a thing we can + compel.” + </p> + <p> + “You are making it very hard for me, Mrs. Constable,” he said. “You are + now advocating an individualism with which the Church can have no + sympathy. Christianity teaches us that life is probationary, and if we + seek to avoid the trials sent us, instead of overcoming them, we find + ourselves farther than ever from any solution. We have to stand by our + mistakes. If marriage is to be a mere trial of compatibility, why go + through a ceremony than which there is none more binding in human and + divine institutions? One either believes in it, or one does not. And, if + belief be lacking, the state provides for the legalization of marriages.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “If persons wish to be married in church in these days merely because it + is respectable, if such be their only reason, they are committing a great + wrong. They are taking an oath before God with reservations, knowing that + public opinion will release them if the marriage does not fulfil their + expectations.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment she gazed at him with parted lips, and pressing her + handkerchief to her eyes began silently to cry. The sudden spectacle, in + this condition, of a self-controlled woman of the world was infinitely + distressing to Hodder, whose sympathies were even more sensitive than (in + her attempt to play upon them) she had suspected... She was aware that he + had got to his feet, and was standing beside her, speaking with an oddly + penetrating tenderness. + </p> + <p> + “I did not mean to be harsh,” he said, “and it is not that I do not + understand how you feel. You have made my duty peculiarly difficult.” + </p> + <p> + She raised up to him a face from which the mask had fallen, from which the + illusory look of youth had fled. He turned away... And presently she began + to speak again; in disconnected sentences. + </p> + <p> + “I so want her to be happy—I cannot think, I will not think that she + has wrecked her life—it would be too unjust, too cruel. You cannot + know what it is to be a woman!” + </p> + <p> + Before this cry he was silent. + </p> + <p> + “I don't ask anything of God except that she shall have a chance, and it + seems to me that he is making the world better—less harsh for + women.” + </p> + <p> + He did not reply. And presently she looked up at him again, steadfastly + now, searchingly. The barriers of the conventions were down, she had cast + her pride to the winds. He seemed to read in her a certain relief. + </p> + <p> + “I am going to tell you something, Mr. Hodder, which you may think + strange, but I have a reason for saying it. You are still a young man, and + I feel instinctively that you have an unusual career before you. You + interested me the first time you stepped into the pulpit of St. John's—and + it will do me good to talk to you, this once, frankly. You have reiterated + to-day, in no uncertain terms, doctrines which I once believed, which I + was brought up to think infallible. But I have lived since then, and life + itself has made me doubt them. + </p> + <p> + “I recognize in you a humanity, a sympathy and breadth which you are + yourself probably not aware of, all of which is greater than the rule + which you so confidently apply to fit all cases. It seems to me that + Christ did not intend us to have such rules. He went beyond them, into the + spirit. + </p> + <p> + “Under the conditions of society—of civilization to-day, most + marriages are merely a matter of chance. Even judgment cannot foresee the + development of character brought about by circumstances, by environment. + And in many marriages I have known about intimately both the man and the + woman have missed the most precious thing that life can give something I + cannot but think—God intends us to have. You see,”—she smiled + at him sadly—“I am still a little of an idealist. + </p> + <p> + “I missed—the thing I am talking about, and it has been the great + sorrow of my life—not only on my account, but on my husband's. And + so far as I am concerned, I am telling you the truth when I say I should + have been content to have lived in a log cabin if—if the gift had + been mine. Not all the money in the world, nor the intellect, nor the + philanthropy—the so-called interests of life, will satisfy me for + its denial. I am a disappointed woman, I sometimes think a bitter woman. I + can't believe that life is meant to be so. Those energies have gone into + ambition which should have been absorbed by—by something more worth + while. + </p> + <p> + “And I can see so plainly now that my husband would have been far, far + happier with another kind of woman. I drew him away from the only work he + ever enjoyed—his painting. I do not say he ever could have been a + great artist, but he had a little of the divine spark, in his enthusiasm + at least—in his assiduity. I shall never forget our first trip + abroad, after we were married—he was like a boy in the galleries, in + the studios. I could not understand it then. I had no real sympathy with + art, but I tried to make sacrifices, what I thought were Christian + sacrifices. The motive power was lacking, and no matter how hard I tried, + I was only half-hearted, and he realized it instinctively—no amount + of feigning could deceive him. Something deep in me, which was a part of + my nature, was antagonistic, stultifying to the essentials of his own + being. Of course neither of us saw that then, but the results were not + long in developing. To him, art was a sacred thing, and it was impossible + for me to regard it with equal seriousness. He drew into himself,—closed + up, as it were,—no longer discussed it. I was hurt. And when we came + home he kept on in business—he still had his father's affairs to + look after—but he had a little workroom at the top of the house + where he used to go in the afternoon.... + </p> + <p> + “It was a question which one of us should be warped,—which + personality should be annihilated, so to speak, and I was the stronger. + And as I look back, Mr. Hodder, what occurred seems to me absolutely + inevitable, given the ingredients, as inevitable as a chemical process. We + were both striving against each other, and I won—at a tremendous + cost. The conflict, one might say, was subconscious, instinctive rather + than deliberate. My attitude forced him back into business, although we + had enough to live on very comfortably, and then the scale of life began + to increase, luxuries formerly unthought of seemed to become necessities. + And while it was still afar off I saw a great wave rolling toward us, the + wave of that new prosperity which threatened to submerge us, and I seized + the buoy fate had placed in our hands,—or rather, by suggestion, I + induced my husband to seize it—his name. + </p> + <p> + “I recognized the genius, the future of Eldon Parr at a time when he was + not yet independent and supreme, when association with a Constable meant + much to him. Mr. Parr made us, as the saying goes. Needless to say; money + has not brought happiness, but a host of hard, false ambitions which + culminated in Gertrude's marriage with Victor Warren. I set my heart on + the match, helped it in every way, and until now nothing but sorrow has + come of it. But my point—is this,—I see so clearly, now that + it is too late, that two excellent persons may demoralize each other if + they are ill-mated. It may be possible that I had the germs of false + ambition in me when I was a girl, yet I was conscious only of the ideal + which is in most women's hearts.... + </p> + <p> + “You must not think that I have laid my soul bare in the hope of changing + your mind in regard to Gertrude. I recognize clearly, now, that that is + impossible. Oh, I know you do not so misjudge me,” she added, reading his + quick protest in his face. + </p> + <p> + “Indeed, I cannot analyze my reasons for telling you something of which I + have never spoken to any one else.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Constable regarded him fixedly. “You are the strongest reason. You + have somehow drawn it out of me.... And I suppose I wish some one to + profit by it. You can, Mr. Hodder,—I feel sure of that. You may + insist now that my argument against your present conviction of the + indissolubility of marriage is mere individualism, but I want you to think + of what I have told you, not to answer me now. I know your argument by + heart, that Christian character develops by submission, by suffering, that + it is the woman's place to submit, to efface herself. But the root of the + matter goes deeper than that. I am far from deploring sacrifice, yet + common-sense tells us that our sacrifice should be guided by judgment, + that foolish sacrifices are worse than useless. And there are times when + the very limitations of our individuality—necessary limitation's for + us—prevent our sacrifices from counting. + </p> + <p> + “I was wrong, I grant you, grievously wrong in the course I took, even + though it were not consciously deliberate. But if my husband had been an + artist I should always have remained separated from his real life by a + limitation I had no power to remove. The more I tried, the more apparent + my lack of insight became to him, the more irritated he grew. I studied + his sketches, I studied masterpieces, but it was all hopeless. The thing + wasn't in me, and he knew it wasn't. Every remark made him quiver. + </p> + <p> + “The Church, I think, will grow more liberal, must grow more liberal, if + it wishes to keep in touch with people in an age when they are thinking + out these questions for themselves. The law cannot fit all cases, I am + sure the Gospel can. And sometimes women have an instinct, a kind of + second sight into persons, Mr. Hodder. I cannot explain why I feel that + you have in you elements of growth which will eventually bring you more + into sympathy with the point of view I have set forth, but I do feel it.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not attempt to refute her—she had, indeed, made + discussion impossible. She knew his arguments, as she had declared, and he + had the intelligence to realize that a repetition of them, on his part, + would be useless. She brought home to him, as never before, a sense of the + anomalistic position of the Church in these modern days, of its + appallingly lessened weight even with its own members. As a successor of + the Apostles, he had no power over this woman, or very little; he could + neither rebuke her, nor sentence her to penance. She recognized his + authority to marry her daughter, to baptize her daughter's children, but + not to interfere in any way with her spiritual life. It was as a + personality he had moved her—a personality apparently not in harmony + with his doctrine. Women had hinted at this before. And while Mrs. + Constable had not, as she perceived, shaken his conviction, the very + vividness and unexpectedness of a confession from her—had stirred + him to the marrow, had opened doors, perforce, which he, himself had + marked forbidden, and given him a glimpse beyond before he could lower his + eyes. Was there, after all, something in him that responded in spite of + himself? + </p> + <p> + He sat gazing at her, his head bent, his strong hands on the arms of the + chair. + </p> + <p> + “We never can foresee how we may change,” he answered, a light in his eyes + that was like a smile, yet having no suggestion of levity. And his voice—despite + his disagreement—maintained the quality of his sympathy. Neither + felt the oddity, then, of the absence of a jarring note. “You may be sure, + at least, of my confidence, and of my gratitude for what you have told + me.” + </p> + <p> + His tone belied the formality of his speech. Mrs. Constable returned his + gaze in silence, and before words came again to either, a step sounded on + the threshold and Mr. Constable entered. + </p> + <p> + Hodder looked at him with a new vision. His face was indeed lined and + worn, and dark circles here under his eyes. But at Mrs. Constable's + “Here's Mr. Hodder, dear,” he came forward briskly to welcome the + clergyman. + </p> + <p> + “How do you do?” he said cordially. “We don't see you very often.” + </p> + <p> + “I have been telling Mr. Hodder that modern rectors of big parishes have + far too many duties,” said his wife. + </p> + <p> + And after a few minutes of desultory conversation, the rector left. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI. “WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT?” + </h2> + <p> + It was one of those moist nights of spring when the air is pungent with + the odour of the softened earth, and the gentle breaths that stirred the + curtains in Mr. Parr's big dining-room wafted, from the garden, the + perfumes of a revived creation,—delicious, hothouse smells. At + intervals, showers might be heard pattering on the walk outside. The + rector of St. John's was dining with his great parishioner. + </p> + <p> + Here indeed were a subject for some modern master, a chance to picture for + generations to come an aspect of a mighty age, an age that may some day be + deemed but a grotesque and anomalistic survival of a more ancient logic; a + gargoyle carved out of chaos, that bears on its features a resemblance to + the past and the future. + </p> + <p> + Our scene might almost be mediaeval with its encircling gloom, through + which the heavy tapestries and shadowy corners of the huge apartment may + be dimly made out. In the center, the soft red glow of the candles, the + gleaming silver, the shining cloth, the Church on one side—and what + on the other? No name given it now, no royal name, but still Power. The + two are still in apposition, not yet in opposition, but the discerning may + perchance read a prophecy in the salient features of the priest. + </p> + <p> + The Man of Power of the beginning of the twentieth century demands a + subtler analysis, presents an enigma to which the immortal portraits of + forgotten Medicis and Capets give no clew. Imagine, if you can, a Lorenzo + or a Grand Louis in a tightly-buttoned frock coat! There must be some + logical connection between the habit and the age, since crimson velvet and + gold brocade would have made Eldon Parr merely ridiculous. + </p> + <p> + He is by no means ridiculous, yet take him out of the setting and put him + in the street, and you might pass him a dozen times without noticing him. + Nature, and perhaps unconscious art, have provided him with a protective + exterior; he is the colour of his jungle. After he has crippled you—if + you survive—you will never forget him. You will remember his eye, + which can be unsheathed like a rapier; you will recall his lips as the + expression of a relentless negative. The significance of the slight bridge + on the narrow nose is less easy to define. He is neither tall nor short; + his face is clean-shaven, save for scanty, unobtrusive reddish tufts high + on the cheeks; his hair is thin. + </p> + <p> + It must be borne in mind, however, that our rector did not see him in his + jungle, and perhaps in the traditional nobility of the lion there is a + certain truth. An interesting biography of some of the powerful of this + earth might be written from the point of view of the confessor or the + physician, who find something to love, something to pity, and nothing to + fear—thus reversing the sentiments of the public. + </p> + <p> + Yet the friendship between John Hodder and Eldon Parr defied any definite + analysis on the rector's part, and was perhaps the strangest—and + most disquieting element that had as yet come into Hodder's life. The + nature of his intimacy with the banker, if intimacy it might be called, + might have surprised his other parishioners if they could have been hidden + spectators of one of these dinners. There were long silences when the + medium of communication, tenuous at best, seemed to snap, and the two sat + gazing at each other as from mountain peaks across impassable valleys. + With all the will in the world, their souls lost touch, though the sense + in the clergyman of the other's vague yearning for human companionship was + never absent. It was this yearning that attracted Hodder, who found in it + a deep pathos. + </p> + <p> + After one of these intervals of silence, Eldon Parr looked up from his + claret. + </p> + <p> + “I congratulate you, Hodder, on the stand you took in regard to + Constable's daughter,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't suppose it was known,” answered the rector, in surprise. + </p> + <p> + “Constable told me. I have reason to believe that he doesn't sympathize + with his wife in her attitude on this matter. It's pulled him down,—you've + noticed that he looks badly?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the rector. He did not care to discuss the affair; he had + hoped it would not become known; and he shunned the congratulations of + Gordon Atterbury, which in such case would be inevitable. And in spite of + the conviction that he had done his duty, the memory of his talk with Mrs. + Constable never failed to make him, uncomfortable. + </p> + <p> + Exasperation crept into Mr. Pares voice. + </p> + <p> + “I can't think what's got into women in these times—at Mrs. + Constable's age they ought to know better. Nothing restrains them. They + have reached a point where they don't even respect the Church. And when + that happens, it is serious indeed. The Church is the governor on our + social engine, and it is supposed to impose a restraint upon the lawless.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder could not refrain from smiling a little at the banker's conception. + </p> + <p> + “Doesn't that reduce the Church somewhere to the level of the police + force?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” said Eldon Parr, whose feelings seemed to be rising. “I am + sorry for Constable. He feels the shame of this thing keenly, and he ought + to go away for a while to one of these quiet resorts. I offered him my + car. Sometimes I think that women have no morals. At any rate, this modern + notion of giving them their liberty is sheer folly. Look what they have + done with it! Instead of remaining at home, where they belong, they are + going out into the world and turning it topsy-turvy. And if a man doesn't + let them have a free hand, they get a divorce and marry some idiot who + will.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr pushed back his chair and rose abruptly, starting for the door. + The rector followed him, forcibly struck by the unusual bitterness in his + tone. + </p> + <p> + “If I have spoken strongly, it is because I feel strongly,” he said in a + strange, thickened voice. “Hodder, how would you like to live in this + house—alone?” + </p> + <p> + The rector looked down upon him with keen, comprehending eyes, and saw + Eldon Parr as he only, of all men, had seen him. For he himself did not + understand his own strange power of drawing forth the spirit from its + shell, of compelling the inner, suffering thing to reveal itself. + </p> + <p> + “This poison,” Eldon Parr went on unevenly, “has eaten into my own family. + My daughter, who might have been a comfort and a companion, since she + chose not to marry, was carried away by it, and thought it incumbent upon + her to have a career of her own. And now I have a choice of thirty rooms, + and not a soul to share them with. Sometimes, at night, I make up my mind + to sell this house. But I can't do it—something holds me back, hope, + superstition, or whatever you've a mind to call it. You've never seen all + of the house, have you?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + The rector slowly shook his head, and the movement might have been one + that he would have used in acquiescence to the odd whim of a child. Mr. + Parr led the way up the wide staircase to the corridor above, traversing + chamber after chamber, turning on the lights. + </p> + <p> + “These were my wife's rooms,” he said, “they are just as she left them. + And these my daughter Alison's, when she chooses to pay me a visit. I + didn't realize that I should have to spend the last years of my life + alone. And I meant, when I gave my wife a house, to have it the best in + the city. I spared nothing on it, as you see, neither care nor money. I + had the best architect I could find, and used the best material. And what + good is it to me? Only a reminder—of what might have been. But I've + got a boy, Hodder,—I don't know whether I've ever spoken of him to + you—Preston. He's gone away, too. But I've always had the hope that + he might come back and get decently married, and live, here. That's why I + stay. I'll show you his picture.” + </p> + <p> + They climbed to the third floor, and while Mr. Parr way searching for the + electric switch, a lightning flash broke over the forests of the park, + prematurely revealing the room. It was a boy's room, hung with photographs + of school and college crews and teams and groups of intimates, with deep + window seats, and draped pennons of Harvard University over the fireplace. + Eldon Parr turned to one of the groups on the will, the earliest taken at + school. + </p> + <p> + “There he is,” he said, pointing out a sunny little face at the bottom, a + boy of twelve, bareheaded, with short, crisping yellow hair, smiling lips + and laughing eyes. “And here he is again,” indicating another group. Thus + he traced him through succeeding years until they came to those of + college. + </p> + <p> + “There he is,” said the rector. “I think I can pick him out now.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes; that's Preston,” said his father, staring hard at the picture. The + face had developed, the body had grown almost to man's estate, but the + hint of crispness was still in the hair, the mischievous laughter in the + eyes. The rector gazed earnestly at the face, remembering his own boyhood, + his own youth, his mind dwelling, too, on what he had heard of the + original of the portrait. What had happened to the boy, to bring to naught + the fair promise of this earlier presentment? + </p> + <p> + He was aroused by the voice of Eldon Parr, who had sunk into one of the + leather chairs. + </p> + <p> + “I can see him now,” he was saying, “as he used to come running down that + long flight of stone steps in Ransome Street to meet me when I came home. + Such laughter! And once, in his eagerness, he fell and cut his forehead. I + shall never forget how I felt. And when I picked him up he tried to laugh + still, with the tears rolling down his face. You know the way a child's + breath catches, Hodder? He was always laughing. And how he used to cling + to me, and beg me to take him out, and show such an interest in + everything! He was a bright boy, a remarkable child, I thought, but I + suppose it was my foolishness. He analyzed all he saw, and when he used to + go off in my car, Brennan, the engineer, would always beg to have him in + the cab. And such sympathy! He knew in an instant when I was worried. I + had dreams of what that boy would become, but I was too sure of it. I went + on doing other things—there were so many things, and I was a slave + to them. And before I knew it, he'd gone off to school. That was the year + I moved up here, and my wife died. And after that, all seemed to go wrong. + Perhaps I was too severe; perhaps they didn't understand him at + boarding-school; perhaps I didn't pay enough attention to him. At any + rate, the first thing I knew his whole nature seemed to have changed. He + got into scrape after scrape at Harvard, and later he came within an ace + of marrying a woman. + </p> + <p> + “He's my weakness to-day. I can say no to everybody in the world but to + him, and when I try to remember him as he used to come down those steps on + Ransome Street.... + </p> + <p> + “He never knew how much I cared—that what I was doing was all for + him, building for him, that he might carry on my work. I had dreams of + developing this city, the great Southwest, and after I had gone Preston + was to bring them to fruition. + </p> + <p> + “For some reason I never was able to tell him all this—as I am + telling you. The words would not come. We had grown apart. And he seemed + to think—God knows why!—he seemed to think I disliked him. I + had Langmaid talk to him, and other men I trusted—tell him what an + unparalleled opportunity he had to be of use in the world. Once I thought + I had him started straight and then a woman came along—off the + streets, or little better. He insisted on marrying her and wrecking his + life, and when I got her out of the way, as any father would have done, he + left me. He has never forgiven me. Most of the time I haven't even the + satisfaction of knowing were he is—London, Paris, or New York. I try + not to think of what he does. I ought to cut him off,—I can't do it—I + can't do it, Hodder—he's my one weakness still. I'm afraid—he'd + sink out of sight entirely, and it's the one hold I have left on him.” + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr paused, with a groan that betokened not only a poignant sorrow, + but also something of relief—for the tortures of not being able to + unburden himself had plainly become intolerable. He glanced up and met the + compassionate eyes of the rector, who stood leaning against the mantel. + </p> + <p> + “With Alison it was different,” he said. “I never understood her—even + when she was a child—and I used to look at her and wonder that she + could be my daughter. She was moody, intense, with a yearning for + affection I've since sometimes thought—she could not express. I did + not feel the need of affection in those days, so absorbed was I in + building up,—so absorbed and driven, you might say. I suppose I must + accept my punishment as just. But the child was always distant with me, + and I always remember her in rebellion; a dark little thing with a + quivering lip, hair awry, and eyes that flashed through her tears. She + would take any amount of punishment rather than admit she had been in the + wrong. I recall she had once a fox terrier that never left her, that + fought all the dogs in the neighbourhood and destroyed the rugs and + cushions in the house. I got rid of it one summer when she was at the sea, + and I think she never forgave me. The first question she asked when she + came home was for that dog—Mischief, his name was—for + Mischief. I told her what I had done. It took more courage than I had + thought. She went to her room, locked herself in, and stayed there, and we + couldn't get her to come out for two days; she wouldn't even eat. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps she was jealous of Preston, but she never acknowledged it. When + she was little she used once in a while to come shyly and sit on my lap, + and look at me without saying anything. I hadn't the slightest notion what + was in the child's mind, and her reserve increased as she grew older. She + seemed to have developed a sort of philosophy of her own even before she + went away to school, and to have certain strongly defined tastes. She + liked, for instance, to listen to music, and for that very reason would + never learn to play. We couldn't make her, as a child. + </p> + <p> + “Bad music, she said, offended her. She painted, she was passionately fond + of flowers, and her room was always filled with them. When she came back + from school to live with me, she built a studio upstairs. After the first + winter, she didn't care to go out much. By so pronounced a character, + young men in general were not attracted, but there were a few who fell + under a sort of spell. I can think of no other words strong enough, and I + used to watch them when they came here with a curious interest. I didn't + approve of all of them. Alison would dismiss them or ignore them or be + kind to them as she happened to feel, yet it didn't seem to make any + difference. One I suspect she was in love with—a fellow without a + cent. + </p> + <p> + “Then there was Bedloe Hubbell. I have reason enough to be thankful now + that she didn't care for him. They've made him president, you know, of + this idiotic Municipal League, as they call it. But in those days he + hadn't developed any nonsense, he was making a good start at the bar, and + was well off. His father was Elias Hubbell, who gave the Botanical Garden + to the city. I wanted her to marry Gordon Atterbury. He hung on longer + than any of them—five or six years; but she wouldn't hear of it. + That was how the real difference developed between us, although the + trouble was deep rooted, for we never really understood each other. I had + set my heart on it, and perhaps I was too dictatorial and insistent. I + don't know. I meant the best for her, God knows.... Gordon never got over + it. It dried him up.”.... Irritation was creeping back into the banker's + voice. + </p> + <p> + “Then it came into Alison's head that she wanted to 'make something of her + life,'—as she expressed it. She said she was wasting herself, and + began going to lectures with a lot of faddish women, became saturated with + these nonsensical ideas about her sex that are doing so much harm + nowadays. I suppose I was wrong in my treatment from the first. I never + knew how to handle her, but we grew like flint and steel. I'll say this + for her, she kept quiet enough, but she used to sit opposite me at the + table, and I knew all the time what she was thinking of, and then I'd + break out. Of course she'd defend herself, but she had her temper under + better control than I. She wanted to go away for a year or two and study + landscape gardening, and then come back and establish herself in an office + here. I wouldn't listen to it. And one morning, when she was late to + breakfast, I delivered an ultimatum. I gave her a lecture on a woman's + place and a woman's duty, and told her that if she didn't marry she'd have + to stay here and live quietly with me, or I'd disinherit her.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder had become absorbed in this portrait of Alison Parr, drawn by her + father with such unconscious vividness. + </p> + <p> + “And then?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the tone of bitterness in which he had spoken, Eldon Parr + smiled. It was a reluctant tribute to his daughter. + </p> + <p> + “I got an ultimatum in return,” he said. “Alison should have been a man.” + His anger mounted quickly as he recalled the scene. “She said she had + thought it all out: that our relationship had become impossible; that she + had no doubt it was largely her fault, but that was the way she was made, + and she couldn't change. She had, naturally, an affection for me as her + father, but it was very plain we couldn't get along together: she was + convinced that she had a right to individual freedom,—as she spoke + of it,—to develop herself. She knew, if she continued to live with + me on the terms I demanded, that her character would deteriorate. Certain + kinds of sacrifice she was capable of, she thought, but what I asked would + be a useless one. Perhaps I didn't realize it, but it was slavery. + Slavery!” he repeated, “the kind of slavery her mother had lived....” + </p> + <p> + He took a turn around the room. + </p> + <p> + “So far as money was concerned, she was indifferent to it. She had enough + from her mother to last until she began to make more. She wouldn't take + any from me in any case. I laughed, yet I have never been so angry in my + life. Nor was it wholly anger, Hodder, but a queer tangle of feelings I + can't describe. There was affection mixed up in it—I realized + afterward—but I longed to take her and shake her and lock her up + until she should come to her senses: I couldn't. I didn't dare. I was + helpless. I told her to go. She didn't say anything more, but there was a + determined look in her eyes when she kissed me as I left for the office. I + spent a miserable day. More than once I made up my mind to go home, but + pride stopped me. I really didn't think she meant what she said. When I + got back to the house in the afternoon she had left for New York. + </p> + <p> + “Then I began to look forward to the time when her money would give out. + She went to Paris with another young woman, and studied there, and then to + England. She came back to New York, hired an apartment and a studio, and + has made a success.” + </p> + <p> + The rector seemed to detect an unwilling note of pride at the magic word. + </p> + <p> + “It isn't the kind of success I think much of, but it's what she started + out to do. She comes out to see me, once in a while, and she designed that + garden.” + </p> + <p> + He halted in front of the clergyman. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose you think it's strange, my telling you this,” he said. “It has + come to the point,” he declared vehemently, “where it relieves me to tell + somebody, and you seem to be a man of discretion and common-sense.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder looked down into Mr. Parr's face, and was silent. Perhaps he + recognized, as never before, the futility of the traditional words of + comfort, of rebuke. He beheld a soul in torture, and realized with sudden + sharpness how limited was his knowledge of the conditions of existence of + his own time. Everywhere individualism reared its ugly head, everywhere it + seemed plausible to plead justification; and once more he encountered that + incompatibility of which Mrs. Constable had spoken! He might blame the + son, blame the daughter, yet he could not condemn them utterly.... One + thing he saw clearly, that Eldon Parr had slipped into what was still, for + him, a meaningless hell. + </p> + <p> + The banker's manner suddenly changed, reverted to what it had been. He + arose. + </p> + <p> + “I've tried to do my duty as I saw it, and it comes to this—that we + who have spent the best years of our lives in striving to develop this + country have no thanks from our children or from any one else.” + </p> + <p> + With his hand on the electric switch, he faced Hodder almost defiantly as + he spoke these words, and suddenly snapped off the light, as though the + matter admitted of no discussion. In semi-darkness they groped down the + upper flight of stairs.... + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII. THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + When summer arrived, the birds of brilliant plumage of Mr. Hodder's flock + arose and flew lightly away, thus reversing the seasons. Only the soberer + ones came fluttering into the cool church out of the blinding heat, and + settled here and there throughout the nave. The ample Mr. Bradley, + perspiring in an alpaca coat, took up the meagre collection on the right + of the centre aisle; for Mr. Parr, properly heralded, had gone abroad on + one of those periodical, though lonely tours that sent anticipatory + shivers of delight down the spines of foreign picture-dealers. The + faithful Gordon Atterbury was worshipping at the sea, and even Mr. + Constable and Mr. Plimpton, when recalled to the city by financial cares, + succumbed to the pagan influence of the sun, and were usually to be found + on Sunday mornings on the wide veranda of the country club, with glasses + containing liquid and ice beside them, and surrounded by heaps of + newspapers. + </p> + <p> + To judge by St. John's, the city was empty. But on occasions, before he + himself somewhat tardily departed,—drawn thither by a morbid though + impelling attraction, Hodder occasionally walked through Dalton Street of + an evening. If not in St. John's, summer was the season in Dalton Street. + It flung open its doors and windows and moved out on the steps and the + pavements, and even on the asphalt; and the music of its cafes and + dance-halls throbbed feverishly through the hot nights. Dalton Street + resorted neither to country club nor church. + </p> + <p> + Mr. McCrae, Hodder's assistant, seemed to regard these annual phenomena + with a grim philosophy,—a relic, perhaps, of the Calvinistic + determinism of his ancestors. He preached the same indefinite sermons, + with the same imperturbability, to the dwindled congregations in summer + and the enlarged ones in winter. But Hodder was capable of no such + resignation—if resignation it were, for the self-contained assistant + continued to be an enigma; and it was not without compunction that he + left, about the middle of July, on his own vacation. He was tired, and yet + he seemed to have accomplished nothing in this first year of the city + parish whereof he had dreamed. And it was, no doubt, for that very reason + that he was conscious of a depressing exhaustion as his train rolled + eastward over that same high bridge that spanned the hot and muddy waters + of the river. He felt a fugitive. In no months since he had left the + theological seminary, had he seemingly accomplished so little; in no + months had he had so magnificent an opportunity. + </p> + <p> + After he had reached the peaceful hills at Bremerton—where he had + gone on Mrs. Whitely's invitation—he began to look back upon the + spring and winter as a kind of mad nightmare, a period of ceaseless, + distracted, and dissipated activity, of rushing hither and thither with no + results. He had been aware of invisible barriers, restricting, hemming him + in on all sides. There had been no time for reflection; and now that he + had a breathing space, he was unable to see how he might reorganize his + work in order to make it more efficient. + </p> + <p> + There were other perplexities, brought about by the glimpses he had had + into the lives and beliefs—or rather unbeliefs—of his new + parishioners. And sometimes, in an unwonted moment of pessimism, he asked + himself why they thought it necessary to keep all that machinery going + when it had so little apparent effect on their lives? He sat wistfully in + the chancel of the little Bremerton church and looked into the familiar + faces of those he had found in it when he came to it, and of those he had + brought into it, wondering why he had been foolish enough to think himself + endowed for the larger work. Here, he had been a factor, a force in the + community, had entered into its life and affections. What was he there? + </p> + <p> + Nor did it tend to ease his mind that he was treated as one who has passed + on to higher things. + </p> + <p> + “I was afraid you'd work too hard,” said Mrs. Whitely, in her motherly + way. “I warned you against it, Mr. Hodder. You never spared yourself, but + in a big city parish it's different. But you've made such a success, + Nelson tells me, and everybody likes you there. I knew they would, of + course. That is our only comfort in losing you, that you have gone to the + greater work. But we do miss you.” + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + The air of Bremerton, and later the air of Bar Harbor had a certain + reviving effect. And John Hodder, although he might be cast down, had + never once entertained the notion of surrender. He was inclined to + attribute the depression through which he had passed, the disappointment + he had undergone as a just punishment for an overabundance of ego,—only + Hodder used the theological term for the same sin. Had he not, after all, + laboured largely for his own glory, and not Gods? Had he ever forgotten + himself? Had the idea ever been far from his thoughts that it was he, John + Hodder, who would build up the parish of St. John's into a living + organization of faith and works? The curious thing was that he had the + power, and save in moments of weariness he felt it in him. He must try to + remember always that this power was from God. But why had he been unable + to apply it? + </p> + <p> + And there remained disturbingly in his memory certain phrases of Mrs. + Constable's, such as “elements of growth.” + </p> + <p> + He would change, she had said; and he had appeared to her as one with + depths. Unsuspected depths—pockets that held the steam, which was + increasing in pressure. At Bremerton, it had not gathered in the pockets, + he had used it all—all had counted; but in the feverish, ceaseless + activity of the city parish he had never once felt that intense + satisfaction of emptying himself, nor, the sweet weariness that follows + it. His seemed the weariness of futility. And introspection was revealing + a crack—after so many years—in that self that he had believed + to be so strongly welded. Such was the strain of the pent-up force. He + recognized the danger-signal. The same phenomenon had driven him into the + Church, where the steam had found an outlet—until now. And yet, so + far as his examination went, he had not lost his beliefs, but the power of + communicating them to others. + </p> + <p> + Bremerton, and the sight of another carrying on the work in which he had + been happy, weighed upon him, and Bar Harbor offered distraction. Mrs. + Larrabbee had not hesitated to remind him of his promise to visit her. If + the gallery of portraits of the congregation of St. John's were to be + painted, this lady's, at the age of thirty, would not be the least + interesting. It would have been out of place in no ancestral hall, and + many of her friends were surprised, after her husband's death, that she + did not choose one wherein to hang it. She might have. For she was the + quintessence of that feminine product of our country at which Europe has + never ceased to wonder, and to give her history would no more account for + her than the process of manufacture explains the most delicate of scents. + Her poise, her quick detection of sham in others not so fortunate, her + absolute conviction that all things were as they ought to be; her charity, + her interest in its recipients; her smile, which was kindness itself; her + delicate features, her white skin with its natural bloom; the grace of her + movements, and her hair, which had a different color in changing lights—such + an ensemble is not to be depicted save by a skilled hand. + </p> + <p> + The late Mr. Larrabbee's name was still printed on millions of bright + labels encircling cubes of tobacco, now manufactured by a Trust. However, + since the kind that entered Mrs. Larrabbee's house, or houses, was all + imported from Egypt or Cuba, what might have been in the nature of an + unpleasant reminder was remote from her sight, and she never drove into + the northern part of the city, where some hundreds of young women bent all + day over the cutting-machines. To enter too definitely into Mrs. + Larrabbee's history, therefore, were merely to be crude, for she is not a + lady to caricature. Her father had been a steamboat captain—once an + honoured calling in the city of her nativity—a devout Presbyterian + who believed in the most rigid simplicity. Few who remembered the + gaucheries of Captain Corington's daughter on her first presentation to + his family's friends could recognize her in the cosmopolitan Mrs. + Larrabbee. Why, with New York and London at her disposal, she elected to + remain in the Middle West, puzzled them, though they found her answer, + “that she belonged there,” satisfying Grace Larrabbee's cosmopolitanism + was of that apperception that knows the value of roots, and during her + widowhood she had been thrusting them out. Mrs. Larrabbee followed by “of” + was much more important than just Mrs. Larrabbee. And she was, moreover, + genuinely attached to her roots. + </p> + <p> + Her girlhood shyness—rudeness, some called it, mistaking the effect + for the cause—had refined into a manner that might be characterized + as 'difficile', though Hodder had never found her so. She liked direct + men; to discover no guile on first acquaintance went a long way with her, + and not the least of the new rector's social triumphs had been his simple + conquest. + </p> + <p> + Enveloped in white flannel, she met his early train at the Ferry; an + unusual compliment to a guest, had he but known it, but he accepted it as + a tribute to the Church. + </p> + <p> + “I was so afraid you wouldn't come,” she said, in a voice that conveyed + indeed more than a perfunctory expression. She glanced at him as he sat + beside her on the cushions of the flying motor boat, his strange eyes + fixed upon the blue mountains of the island whither they were bound, his + unruly hair fanned by the wind. + </p> + <p> + “Why?” he asked, smiling at the face beneath the flying veil. + </p> + <p> + “You need the rest. I believe in men taking their work seriously, but not + so seriously as you do.” + </p> + <p> + She was so undisguisedly glad to see him that he could scarcely have been + human if he had not responded. And she gave him, in that fortnight, a + glimpse of a life that was new and distracting: at times made him forget—and + he was willing to forget—the lower forms of which it was the + quintessence,—the factories that hummed, the forges that flung their + fires into the night in order that it might exist; the Dalton Streets that + went without. The effluvia from hot asphalt bore no resemblance to the + salt-laden air that rattled the Venetian blinds of the big bedroom to + which he was assigned. Her villa was set high above the curving shore, + facing a sheltered terrace-garden resplendent in its August glory; to + seaward, islands danced in the haze; and behind the house, in the + sunlight, were massed spruces of a brilliant arsenic green with purple + cones. The fluttering awnings were striped cardinal and white. + </p> + <p> + Nature and man seemed to have conspired to make this place vividly unreal, + as a toy village comes painted from the shop. There were no half-tones, no + poverty—in sight, at least; no litter. On the streets and roads, at + the casino attached to the swimming-pool and at the golf club were to be + seen bewildering arrays of well-dressed, well-fed women intent upon + pleasure and exercise. Some of them gave him glances that seemed to say, + “You belong to us,” and almost succeeded in establishing the delusion. The + whole effect upon Hodder, in the state of mind in which he found himself, + was reacting, stimulating, disquieting. At luncheons and dinners, he was + what is known as a “success”—always that magic word. + </p> + <p> + He resisted, and none so quick as women to scent resistance. His very + unbending attitude aroused their inherent craving for rigidity in his + profession; he was neither plastic, unctuous, nor subservient; his very + homeliness, redeemed by the eyes and mouth, compelled their attention. One + of them told Mrs. Larrabbee that that rector of hers would “do something.” + </p> + <p> + But what, he asked himself, was he resisting? He was by no means a + Puritan; and while he looked upon a reasonable asceticism as having its + place in the faith that he professed, it was no asceticism that prevented + a more complete acquiescence on his part in the mad carnival that + surrounded him. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid you don't wholly approve of Bar Harbor,” his hostess remarked; + one morning. + </p> + <p> + “At first sight, it is somewhat staggering to the provincial mind,” he + replied. + </p> + <p> + She smiled at him, yet with knitted brows. + </p> + <p> + “You are always putting me off—I never can tell what you think. And + yet I'm sure you have opinions. You think these people frivolous, of + course.” + </p> + <p> + “Most of them are so,” he answered, “but that is a very superficial + criticism. The question is, why are they so? The sight of Bar Harbor leads + a stranger to the reflection that the carnival mood has become permanent + with our countrymen, and especially our countrywomen.” + </p> + <p> + “The carnival mood,” she repeated thoughtfully, “yes, that expresses it. + We are light, we are always trying to get away from ourselves, and + sometimes I wonder whether there are any selves to get away from. You + ought to atop us,” she added, almost accusingly, “to bring us to our + senses.” + </p> + <p> + “That's just it,” he agreed, “why don't we? Why can't we?” + </p> + <p> + “If more clergymen were like you, I think perhaps you might.” + </p> + <p> + His tone, his expression, were revelations. + </p> + <p> + “I—!” he exclaimed sharply, and controlled himself. But in that + moment Grace Larrabbee had a glimpse of the man who had come to arouse in + her an intense curiosity. For an instant a tongue of the fires of Vulcan + had shot forth, fires that she had suspected. + </p> + <p> + “Aren't you too ambitious?” she asked gently. And again, although she did + not often blunder, she saw him wince. “I don't mean ambitious for + yourself. But surely you have made a remarkable beginning at St. John's. + Everybody admires and respects you, has confidence in you. You are so sure + of yourself,” she hesitated a moment, for she had never ventured to + discuss religion with him, “of your faith. Clergymen ought not to be + apologetic, and your conviction cannot fail, in the long run, to have its + effect.” + </p> + <p> + “Its effect,—on what?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Larrabbee was suddenly, at sea. And she prided herself on a lack of + that vagueness generally attributed to her sex. + </p> + <p> + “On—on everything. On what we were talking about,—the carnival + feeling, the levity, on the unbelief of the age. Isn't it because the + control has been taken off?” + </p> + <p> + He saw an opportunity to slip into smoother waters. + </p> + <p> + “The engine has lost its governor?” + </p> + <p> + “Exactly!” cried Mrs. Larrabbee. “What a clever simile!” + </p> + <p> + “It is Mr. Pares,” said Hodder. “Only he was speaking of other symptoms, + Socialism, and its opposite, individualism,—not carnivalism.” + </p> + <p> + “Poor man,” said Mrs. Larrabbee, accepting the new ground as safer, yet + with a baffled feeling that Hodder had evaded her once more, “he has had + his share of individualism and carnivalism. His son Preston was here last + month, and was taken out to the yacht every night in an unspeakable state. + And Alison hasn't been what might be called a blessing.” + </p> + <p> + “She must be unusual,” said the rector, musingly. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Alison is a Person. She has become quite the fashion, and has more + work than she can possibly attend to. Very few women with her good looks + could have done what she has without severe criticism, and something + worse, perhaps. The most extraordinary thing about her is her contempt for + what her father has gained, and for conventionalities. It always amuses me + when I think that she might have been the wife of Gordon Atterbury. The + Goddess of Liberty linked to—what?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder thought instinctively of the Church. But he remained silent. + </p> + <p> + “As a rule, men are such fools about the women they wish to marry,” she + continued. “She would have led him a dance for a year or two, and then + calmly and inexorably left him. And there was her father, with all his + ability and genius, couldn't see it either, but fondly imagined that + Alison as Gordon Atterbury's wife, would magically become an Atterbury and + a bourgeoise, see that the corners were dusted in the big house, sew + underwear for the poor, and fast in Lent.” + </p> + <p> + “And she is happy—where she is?” he inquired somewhat naively. + </p> + <p> + “She is self-sufficient,” said Mrs. Larrabbee, with unusual feeling, “and + that is just what most women are not, in these days. Oh, why has life + become such a problem? Sometimes I think, with all that I have, I'm not, + so well off as one of those salesgirls in Ferguson's, at home. I'm always + searching for things to do—nothing is thrust on me. There are the + charities—Galt House, and all that, but I never seem to get at + anything, at the people I'd like to help. It's like sending money to + China. There is no direct touch any more. It's like seeing one's + opportunities through an iron grating.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder started at the phrase, so exactly had she expressed his own case. + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” he said, “the iron grating bars the path of the Church, too.” + </p> + <p> + And just what was the iron grating? + </p> + <p> + They had many moments of intimacy during that fort night, though none in + which the plumb of their conversation descended to such a depth. For he + was, as she had said, always “putting her off.” Was it because he couldn't + satisfy her craving? give her the solution for which—he began to see—she + thirsted? Why didn't that religion that she seemed outwardly to profess + and accept without qualification—the religion he taught set her at + rest? show her the path? + </p> + <p> + Down in his heart he knew that he feared to ask. + </p> + <p> + That Mrs. Larrabbee was still another revelation, that she was not at + rest, was gradually revealed to him as the days passed. Her spirit, too, + like his own, like 'Mrs Constable's, like Eldon Parr's, like Eleanor + Goodrich's, was divided against itself; and this phenomenon in Mrs. + Larrabbee was perhaps a greater shock to him, since he had always regarded + her as essentially in equilibrium. One of his reasons, indeed,—in + addition to the friendship that had grown up between them,—for + coming to visit her had been to gain the effect of her poise on his own. + Poise in a modern woman, leading a modern life. It was thus she attracted + him. It was not that he ignored her frivolous side; it was nicely balanced + by the other, and that other seemed growing. The social, she accepted at + what appeared to be its own worth. Unlike Mrs. Plimpton, for instance, she + was so innately a lady that she had met with no resistance in the Eastern + watering places, and her sense of values had remained the truer for it. + </p> + <p> + He did not admire her the less now he had discovered that the poise was + not so adjusted as he had thought it, but his feeling about her changed, + grew more personal, more complicated. She was showing an alarming tendency + to lean on him at a time when he was examining with some concern his own + supports. She possessed intelligence and fascination, she was a woman + whose attentions would have flattered and disturbed any man with a spark + of virility, and Hodder had constantly before his eyes the spectacle of + others paying her court. Here were danger-signals again! + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Plaice, a middle-aged English lady staying in the house, never + appeared until noon. Breakfast was set out in the tiled and sheltered + loggia, where they were fanned by the cool airs of a softly breathing + ocean. The world, on these mornings, had a sparkling unreality, the cold, + cobalt sea stretching to sun-lit isles, and beyond, the vividly painted + shore,—the setting of luxury had never been so complete. And the + woman who sat opposite him seemed, like one of her own nectarines, to be + the fruit that crowned it all. + </p> + <p> + Why not yield to the enchantment? Why rebel, when nobody else complained? + Were it not more simple to accept what life sent in its orderly course + instead of striving for an impossible and shadowy ideal? Very shadowy + indeed! And to what end were his labours in that smoky, western city, with + its heedless Dalton Streets, which went their inevitable ways? For he had + the choice. + </p> + <p> + To do him justice, he was slow in arriving at a realization that seemed to + him so incredible, so preposterous. He was her rector! And he had + accepted, all unconsciously, the worldly point of view as to Mrs. + Larrabbee,—that she was reserved for a worldly match. A clergyman's + wife! What would become of the clergyman? And yet other clergymen had + married rich women, despite the warning of the needle's eye. + </p> + <p> + She drove him in her buckboard to Jordan's Pond, set, like a jewel in the + hills, and even to the deep, cliff bordered inlet beyond North East, which + reminded her, she said, of a Norway fiord. And sometimes they walked + together through wooded paths that led them to beetling shores, and sat + listening to the waves crashing far below. Silences and commonplaces + became the rule instead of the eager discussions with which they had + begun,—on such safer topics as the problem of the social work of + modern churches. Her aromatic presence, and in this setting, continually + disturbed him: nature's perfumes, more definable,—exhalations of the + sea and spruce,—mingled with hers, anaesthetics compelling lethargy. + He felt himself drowning, even wished to drown,—and yet strangely + resisted. + </p> + <p> + “I must go to-morrow,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “To-morrow—why? There is a dinner, you know, and Mrs. Waterman + wished so particularly to meet you.” + </p> + <p> + He did not look at her. The undisguised note of pain found an echo within + him. And this was Mrs. Larrabbee! + </p> + <p> + “I am sorry, but I must,” he told her, and she may not have suspected the + extent to which the firmness was feigned. + </p> + <p> + “You have promised to make other visits? The Fergusons,—they said + they expected you.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm going west—home,” he said, and the word sounded odd. + </p> + <p> + “At this season! But there is nobody in church, at least only a few, and + Mr. McCrae can take care of those—he always does. He likes it.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder smiled in spite of himself. He might have told her that those + outside the church were troubling him. But he did not, since he had small + confidence in being able to bring them in. + </p> + <p> + “I have been away too long, I am getting spoiled,” he replied, with an + attempt at lightness. He forced his eyes to meet hers, and she read in + them an unalterable resolution. + </p> + <p> + “It is my opinion you are too conscientious, even for a clergyman,” she + said, and now it was her lightness that hurt. She protested no more. And + as she led the way homeward through the narrow forest path, her head + erect, still maintaining this lighter tone, he wondered how deeply she had + read him; how far her intuition had carried her below the surface; whether + she guessed the presence of that stifled thing in him which was crying + feebly for life; whether it was that she had discovered, or something + else? He must give it the chance it craved. He must get away—he must + think. To surrender now would mean destruction... + </p> + <p> + Early the next morning, as he left the pier in the motor boat, he saw a + pink scarf waving high above him from the loggia. And he flung up his hand + in return. Mingled with a faint sense of freedom was intense sadness. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII. THE LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE + </h2> + <p> + From the vantage point of his rooms in the parish house, Hodder reviewed + the situation. And despite the desires thronging after him in his flight + he had the feeling of once who, in the dark, has been very near to + annihilation. What had shaken him most was the revelation of an old enemy + which, watching its chance, had beset him at the first opportunity; and at + a time when the scheme of life, which he flattered himself to have solved + forever, was threatening once more to resolve itself into fragments. He + had, as if by a miracle, escaped destruction in some insidious form. + </p> + <p> + He shrank instinctively from an analysis of the woman in regard to whom + his feelings were, so complicated, and yet by no means lacking in + tenderness. But as time went on, he recognized more and more that she had + come into his life at a moment when he was peculiarly vulnerable. She had + taken him off his guard. That the brilliant Mrs. Larrabbee should have + desired him—or what she believed was him—was food enough for + thought, was an indication of an idealism in her nature that he would not + have suspected. From a worldly point of view, the marriage would have + commended itself to none of her friends. Yet Hodder perceived clearly that + he could not have given her what she desired, since the marriage would + have killed it in him. She offered him the other thing. Once again he had + managed somehow to cling to his dream of what the relationship between man + and woman should be, and he saw more and more distinctly that he had + coveted not only the jewel, but its setting. He could not see her out of + it—she faded. Nor could he see himself in it. + </p> + <p> + Luxury,—of course,—that was what he had spurned. Luxury in + contrast to Dalton Street, to the whirring factories near the church which + discharged, at nightfall, their quotas of wan women and stunted children. + And yet here he was catering to luxury, providing religion for it! + Religion! + </p> + <p> + Early in November he heard that Mrs. Larrabbee had suddenly decided to go + abroad without returning home.... + </p> + <p> + That winter Hodder might have been likened to a Niagara for energy; an + unharnessed Niagara—such would have been his own comment. He seemed + to turn no wheels, or only a few at least, and feebly. And while the + spectacle of their rector's zeal was no doubt an edifying one to his + parishioners, they gave him to understand that they would have been + satisfied with less. They admired, but chided him gently; and in February + Mr. Parr offered to take him to Florida. He was tired, and it was largely + because he dreaded the reflection inevitable in a period of rest, that he + refused.... And throughout these months, the feeling recurred, with + increased strength, that McCrae was still watching him,—the notion + persisted that his assistant held to a theory of his own, if he could but + be induced to reveal it. Hodder refrained from making the appeal. + Sometimes he was on the point of losing patience with this enigmatic + person. + </p> + <p> + Congratulations on the fact that his congregation was increasing brought + him little comfort, since a cold analysis of the newcomers who were + renting pews was in itself an indication of the lack of that thing he so + vainly sought. The decorous families who were now allying themselves with + St. John's did so at the expense of other churches either more radical or + less fashionable. What was it he sought? What did he wish? To fill the + church to overflowing with the poor and needy as well as the rich, and to + enter into the lives of all. Yet at a certain point he met a resistance + that was no less firm because it was baffling. The Word, on his lips at + least, seemed to have lost it efficacy. The poor heeded it not, and he + preached to the rich as from behind a glass. They went on with their + carnival. Why this insatiate ambition on his part in an age of unbelief? + Other clergymen, not half so fortunate, were apparently satisfied; or else—from + his conversation with them—either oddly optimistic or resigned. Why + not he? + </p> + <p> + It was strange, in spite of everything, that hope sprang up within him, a + recurrent geyser. + </p> + <p> + Gradually, almost imperceptibly, he found himself turning more and more + towards that line of least resistance which other churches were following, + as the one Modern Solution,—institutional work. After all, in the + rescuing of bodies some method might yet be discovered to revive the + souls. And there were the children! Hodder might have been likened to an + explorer, seeking a direct path when there was none—a royal road. + And if this were oblique it offered, at least, a definite outlet for his + energy. + </p> + <p> + Such was, approximately, the state of his mind early in March when Gordon + Atterbury came back from a conference in New York on institutional work, + and filled with enthusiasm. St. John's was incredibly behind the times, so + he told Hodder, and later the vestry. Now that they had, in Mr. Hodder, a + man of action and ability—ahem! there was no excuse for a parish as + wealthy as St. John's, a parish with their opportunities, considering the + proximity of Dalton Street neighbourhood, not enlarging and modernizing + the parish house, not building a settlement house with kindergartens, + schools, workshops, libraries, a dispensary and day nurseries. It would + undoubtedly be an expense—and Mr. Atterbury looked at Mr. Parr, who + drummed on the vestry table. They would need extra assistants, + deaconesses, trained nurses, and all that. But there were other churches + in the city that were ahead of St. John's—a reproach—ahem! + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr replied that he had told the rector that he stood ready to + contribute to such a scheme when he, the rector; should be ready to + approve it. And he looked at Mr. Hodder. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Hodder said he had been considering the matter ever since his arrival. + He had only one criticism of institutional work, that in his observation + it did not bring the people whom it reached into the Church in any great + numbers. Perhaps that were too much to ask, in these days. For his part he + would willingly assume the extra burden, and he was far from denying the + positive good such work accomplished through association and by the + raising of standards. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Ferguson declared his readiness to help. Many of his salesgirls, he + said, lived in this part of the city, and he would be glad to do anything + in his power towards keeping them out of the dance-halls and such places. + </p> + <p> + A committee was finally appointed consisting of Mr. Parr, Mr. Atterbury, + and the rector, to consult architects and to decide upon a site. + </p> + <p> + Hodder began a correspondence with experts in other cities, collected + plans, pamphlets, statistics; spent hours with the great child-specialist, + Dr. Jarvis, and with certain clergymen who believed in institutionalism as + the hope of the future. + </p> + <p> + But McCrae was provokingly non-committal. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, they may try it,” he assented somewhat grudgingly, one day when the + rector had laid out for his inspection the architects' sketch for the + settlement house. “No doubt it will help many poor bodies along.” + </p> + <p> + “Is there anything else?” the rector asked, looking searchingly at his + assistant. + </p> + <p> + “It may as well be that,” replied McCrae. + </p> + <p> + The suspicion began to dawn on Hodder that the Scotch man's ideals were as + high as his own. Both of them, secretly, regarded the new scheme as a + compromise, a yielding to the inevitable.... + </p> + <p> + Mr. Ferguson's remark that an enlarged parish house and a new settlement + house might help to keep some of the young women employed in his + department store out of the dance-halls interested Hodder, who conceived + the idea of a dance-hall of their own. For the rector, in the course of + his bachelor shopping, often resorted to the emporium of his vestryman, to + stand on the stairway which carried him upward without lifting his feet, + to roam, fascinated, through the mazes of its aisles, where he invariably + got lost, and was rescued by suave floor-walkers or pert young women in + black gowns and white collars and cuffs. But they were not all pert—there + were many characters, many types. And he often wondered whether they did + not get tired standing on their feet all day long, hesitating to ask them; + speculated on their lives—flung as most of them were on a heedless + city, and left to shift for themselves. Why was it that the Church which + cared for Mr. Ferguson's soul was unable to get in touch with, or make an + appeal to, those of his thousand employees? + </p> + <p> + It might indeed have been said that Francis Ferguson cared for his own + soul, as he cared for the rest of his property, and kept it carefully + insured,—somewhat, perhaps, on the principle of Pascal's wager. That + he had been a benefactor to his city no one would deny who had seen the + facade that covered a whole block in the business district from Tower to + Vine, surmounted by a red standard with the familiar motto, “When in + doubt, go to Ferguson's.” At Ferguson's you could buy anything from a + pen-wiper to a piano or a Paris gown; sit in a cool restaurant in summer + or in a palm garden in winter; leave your baby—if you had one—in + charge of the most capable trained nurses; if your taste were literary, + mull over the novels in the Book Department; if you were stout, you might + be reduced in the Hygiene Department, unknown to your husband and intimate + friends. In short, if there were any virtuous human wish in the power of + genius to gratify, Ferguson's was the place. They, even taught you how to + cook. It was a modern Aladdin's palace: and, like everything else modern, + much more wonderful than the original. And the soda might be likened to + the waters of Trevi,—to partake of which is to return. + </p> + <p> + “When in doubt, go to Ferguson!” Thus Mrs. Larrabbee and other ladies + interested in good works had altered his motto. He was one of the + supporters of Galt House, into which some of his own young saleswomen had + occasionally strayed; and none, save Mr. Parr alone, had been so liberal + in his gifts. Holder invariably found it difficult to reconcile the + unassuming man, whose conversation was so commonplace, with the titanic + genius who had created Ferguson's; nor indeed with the owner of the + imposing marble mansion at Number 5, Park Street. + </p> + <p> + The rector occasionally dined there. He had acquired a real affection for + Mrs. Ferguson, who resembled a burgomaster's wife in her evening gowns and + jewels, and whose simple social ambitions had been gratified beyond her + dreams. Her heart had not shrunken in the process, nor had she forgotten + her somewhat heterogeneous acquaintances in the southern part of the city. + And it was true that when Gertrude Constable had nearly died of + appendicitis, it was on this lady's broad bosom that Mrs. Constable had + wept. Mrs. Ferguson had haunted the house, regardless of criticism, and + actually quivering with sympathy. Her more important dinner parties might + have been likened to ill-matched fours-in-hand, and Holder had sometimes + felt more of pity than of amusement as she sat with an expression of + terror on her face, helplessly watching certain unruly individuals taking + their bits in their teeth and galloping madly downhill. On one occasion, + when he sat beside her, a young man, who shall be nameless, was suddenly + heard to remark in the midst of an accidental lull: + </p> + <p> + “I never go to church. What's the use? I'm afraid most of us don't believe + in hell any more.” + </p> + <p> + A silence followed: of the sort that chills. And the young man, glancing + down the long board at the clergyman, became as red as the carnation in + his buttonhole, and in his extremity gulped down more champagne. + </p> + <p> + “Things are in a dreadful state nowadays!” Mrs. Ferguson gasped to a + paralyzed company, and turned an agonized face to Holder. “I'm so sorry,” + she said, “I don't know why I asked him to-night, except that I have to + have a young man for Nan, and he's just come to the city, and I was sorry + for him. He's very promising in a business way; he's in Mr. Plimpton's + trust company.” + </p> + <p> + “Please don't let it trouble you.” Holder turned and smiled a little, and + added whimsically: “We may as well face the truth.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I should expect you to be good about it, but it was unpardonable,” + she cried.... + </p> + <p> + In the intervals when he gained her attention he strove, by talking + lightly of other things, to take her mind off the incident, but somehow it + had left him strangely and—he felt—disproportionately + depressed,—although he had believed himself capable of facing more + or less philosophically that condition which the speaker had so frankly + expressed. Yet the remark, somehow, had had an illuminating effect like a + flashlight, revealing to him the isolation of the Church as never before. + And after dinner, as they were going to the smoking-room, the offender + accosted him shamefacedly. + </p> + <p> + “I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Holder,” he stammered. + </p> + <p> + That the tall rector's regard was kindly did not relieve his discomfort. + Hodder laid a hand on his shoulder. + </p> + <p> + “Don't worry about it,” he answered, “I have only one regret as to what + you said—that it is true.” + </p> + <p> + The other looked at him curiously. + </p> + <p> + “It's mighty decent of you to take it this way,” he laid. Further speech + failed him. + </p> + <p> + He was a nice-looking young man, with firm white teeth, and honesty was + written all over his boyish face. And the palpable fact that his regret + was more on the clergyman's account than for the social faux pas drew + Holder the more, since it bespoke a genuineness of character. + </p> + <p> + He did not see the yearning in the rector's eyes as he turned away... Why + was it they could not be standing side by side, fighting the same fight? + The Church had lost him, and thousands like him, and she needed them; + could not, indeed, do without them. + </p> + <p> + Where, indeed, were the young men? They did not bother their heads about + spiritual matters any more. But were they not, he asked himself, franker + than many of these others, the so-called pillars of the spiritual + structure? + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton accosted him. “I congratulate you upon the new plans, Mr. + Hodder,—they're great,” he said. “Mr. Parr and our host are coming + down handsomely, eh? When we get the new settlement house we'll have a + plant as up-to-date as any church in the country. When do you break + ground?” + </p> + <p> + “Not until autumn, I believe,” Hodder replied. “There are a good many + details to decide upon yet.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I congratulate you.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton was forever congratulating. + </p> + <p> + “Up-to-date”—“plant”! More illuminating words, eloquent of Mr. + Plimpton's ideals. St. John's down at the heels, to be brought up to the + state of efficiency of Mr. Plimpton's trust company! It was by no means + the first time he had heard modern attributes on Mr. Plimpton's lips + applied to a sacred institution, but to-night they had a profoundly + disquieting effect. To-night, a certain clairvoyance had been vouchsafed + him, and he beheld these men, his associates and supporters, with a + detachment never before achieved. + </p> + <p> + They settled in groups about the room, which was square and high, and + panelled in Italian walnut, with fluted pilasters,—the capitals of + which were elaborately carved. And Hodder found himself on a deep leather + sofa in a corner engaged in a desultory and automatic conversation with + Everett Constable. Mr. Plimpton, with a large cigar between his lips, was + the radiating centre of one of the liveliest groups, and of him the rector + had fallen into a consideration, piecing together bits of information that + hitherto had floated meaninglessly in his mind. It was Mrs. Larrabbee who + had given character to the career of the still comparatively youthful and + unquestionably energetic president of the Chamber of Commerce by likening + it to a great spiral, starting somewhere in outer regions of twilight, and + gradually drawing nearer to the centre, from which he had never taken his + eyes. At the centre were Eldon Parr and Charlotte Gore. Wallis Plimpton + had made himself indispensable to both. + </p> + <p> + His campaign for the daughter of Thurston Gore had been comparable to one + of the great sieges of history, for Mr. Plimpton was a laughing-stock when + he sat down before that fortress. At the end of ten years, Charlotte had + capitulated, with a sigh of relief, realizing at last her destiny. She had + become slightly stout, revealing, as time went on, no wrinkles—a + proof that the union was founded on something more enduring than poetry: + Statesmanship—that was the secret! Step by step, slowly but surely, + the memoranda in that matrimonial portfolio were growing into accomplished + facts; all events, such as displacements of power, were foreseen; and the + Plimptons, like Bismarck, had only to indicate, in case of sudden news, + the pigeonhole where the plan of any particular campaign was filed. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Larrabbee's temptation to be witty at the expense of those for whom + she had no liking had led Hodder to discount the sketch. He had not + disliked Mr. Plimpton, who had done him many little kindnesses. He was + good-natured, never ruffled, widely tolerant, hail-fellow-well-met with + everybody, and he had enlivened many a vestry meeting with his stories. It + were hypercritical to accuse him of a lack of originality. And if by + taking thought, he had arrived, from nowhere, at his present position of + ease and eminence, success had not turned to ashes in his mouth. He fairly + exhaled well-being, happiness, and good cheer. Life had gone well with + him, he wished the same to others. + </p> + <p> + But to-night, from his corner, Hodder seemed to see Mr. Plimpton with new + eyes. Not that he stood revealed a villain, which he was far from being; + it was the air of sophistication, of good-natured if cynical acceptance of + things as they were—and plenty good enough, too!—that jarred + upon the rector in his new mood, and it was made manifest to him as never + before why his appeals from the pulpit had lacked efficacy. Mr. Plimpton + didn't want the world changed! And in this desire he represented the men + in that room, and the majority of the congregation of St. John's. The + rector had felt something of this before, and it seemed to him astonishing + that the revelation had not come to him sooner. Did any one of them, in + his heart, care anything for the ideals and aspirations of the Church? + </p> + <p> + As he gazed at them through the gathering smoke they had become strangers, + receded all at once to a great distance.... Across the room he caught the + name, Bedloe Hubbell, pronounced with peculiar bitterness by Mr. Ferguson. + At his side Everett Constable was alert, listening. + </p> + <p> + “Ten years ago,” said a stout Mr. Varnum, the President of the Third + National Bank, “if you'd told me that that man was to become a demagogue + and a reformer, I wouldn't have believed you. Why, his company used to + take rebates from the L. & G., and the Southern—I know it.” He + emphasized the statement with a blow on the table that made the liqueur + glasses dance. “And now, with his Municipal League, he's going to clean up + the city, is he? Put in a reform mayor. Show up what he calls the + Consolidated Tractions Company scandal. Pooh!” + </p> + <p> + “You got out all right, Varnum. You won't be locked up,” said Mr. + Plimpton, banteringly. + </p> + <p> + “So did you,” retorted Varnum. + </p> + <p> + “So did Ferguson, so did Constable.” + </p> + <p> + “So did Eldon Parr,” remarked another man, amidst a climax of laughter. + </p> + <p> + “Langmaid handled that pretty well.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder felt Everett Constable fidget. + </p> + <p> + “Bedloe's all right, but he's a dreamer,” Mr. Plimpton volunteered. + </p> + <p> + “Then I wish he'd stop dreaming,” said Mr. Ferguson, and there was more + laughter, although he had spoken savagely. + </p> + <p> + “That's what he is, a dreamer,” Varnum ejaculated. “Say, he told George + Carter the other day that prostitution wasn't necessary, that in fifty + years we'd have largely done away with it. Think of that, and it's as old + as Sodom and Gomorrah!” + </p> + <p> + “If Hubbell had his way, he'd make this town look like a Connecticut hill + village—he'd drive all the prosperity out of it. All the railroads + would have to abandon their terminals—there'd be no more traffic, + and you'd have to walk across the bridge to get a drink.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Mr. Plimpton, “Tom Beatty's good enough for me, for a while.” + </p> + <p> + Beatty, Hodder knew, was the “boss,” of the city, with headquarters in a + downtown saloon. + </p> + <p> + “Beatty's been maligned,” Mr. Varnum declared. “I don't say he's a saint, + but he's run the town pretty well, on the whole, and kept the vice where + it belongs, out of sight. He's made his pile, but he's entitled to + something we all are. You always know where you stand with Beatty. But + say, if Hubbell and his crowd—” + </p> + <p> + “Don't worry about Bedloe,—he'll get called in, he'll come home to + roost like the rest of them,” said Mr. Plimpton, cheerfully. “The people + can't govern themselves,—only Bedloe doesn't know it. Some day he'll + find it out.”... + </p> + <p> + The French window beside him was open, and Hodder slipped out, unnoticed, + into the warm night and stood staring at the darkness. His one desire had + been to get away, out of hearing, and he pressed forward over the tiled + pavement until he stumbled against a stone balustrade that guarded a drop + of five feet or so to the lawn below. At the same time he heard his name + called. + </p> + <p> + “Is that you, Mr. Hodder?” + </p> + <p> + He started. The voice had a wistful tremulousness, and might almost have + been the echo of the leaves stirring in the night air. Then he perceived, + in a shaft of light from one of the drawing-room windows near by, a girl + standing beside the balustrade; and as she came towards him, with + tentative steps, the light played conjurer, catching the silvery gauze of + her dress and striking an aura through the film of her hair. + </p> + <p> + “It's Nan Ferguson,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Of course,” he exclaimed, collecting himself. “How stupid of me not to + have recognized you!” + </p> + <p> + “I'm so glad you came out,” she went on impulsively, yet shyly, “I wanted + to tell you how sorry I was that that thing happened at the table.” + </p> + <p> + “I like that young man,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Do you?” she exclaimed, with unexpected gratitude. “So do I. He really + isn't—so bad as he must seem.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm sure of it,” said the rector, laughing. + </p> + <p> + “I was afraid you'd think him wicked,” said Nan. “He works awfully hard, + and he's sending a brother through college. He isn't a bit like—some + others I know. He wants to make something of himself. And I feel + responsible, because I had mother ask him to-night.” + </p> + <p> + He read her secret. No doubt she meant him to do so. + </p> + <p> + “You know we're going away next week, for the summer—that is, mother + and I,” she continued. “Father comes later. And I do hope you'll make us a + visit, Mr. Hodder—we were disappointed you couldn't come last year.” + Nan hesitated, and thrusting her hand into her gown drew forth an envelope + and held it out to him. “I intended to give you this to-night, to use—for + anything you thought best.” + </p> + <p> + He took it gravely. She looked up at him. + </p> + <p> + “It seems so little—such a selfish way of discharging one's + obligations, just to write out a cheque, when there is so much trouble in + the world that demands human kindness as well as material help. I drove up + Dalton Street yesterday, from downtown. You know how hot it was! And I + couldn't help thinking how terrible it is that we who have everything are + so heedless of all that misery. The thought of it took away all my + pleasure. + </p> + <p> + “I'd do something more, something personal, if I could. Perhaps I shall be + able to, next winter. Why is it so difficult for all of us to know what to + do?” + </p> + <p> + “We have taken a step forward, at any rate, when we know that it is + difficult,” he said. + </p> + <p> + She gazed up at him fixedly, her attention caught by an indefinable + something in his voice, in his smile, that thrilled and vaguely disturbed + her. She remembered it long afterwards. It suddenly made her shy again; as + if, in faring forth into the darkness, she had come to the threshold of a + mystery, of a revelation withheld; and it brought back the sense of + adventure, of the palpitating fear and daring with which she had come to + meet him. + </p> + <p> + “It is something to know,” she repeated, half comprehending. The scraping + of chairs within alarmed her, and she stood ready to fly. + </p> + <p> + “But I haven't thanked you for this,” he said, holding up the envelope. + “It may be that I shall find some one in Dalton Street—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I hope so,” she faltered, breathlessly, hesitating a moment. And then + she was gone, into the house. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0012" id="link2H_4_0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 3. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX. THE DIVINE DISCONTENT + </h2> + <h3> + I + </h3> + <p> + It was the last Sunday in May, and in another week the annual flight to + the seashore and the mountains would have begun again. The breezes + stealing into the church through the open casements wafted hither and + thither the odours of the chancel flowers, and mingled with those fainter + and subtler perfumes set free by the rustling of summer gowns. + </p> + <p> + As on this day he surveyed his decorous and fashionable congregation, + Hodder had something of that sense of extremity which the great apostle to + the Gentiles himself must have felt when he stood in the midst of the + Areopagus and made his vain yet sublime appeal to Athenian indifference + and luxury. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now + commandeth all men everywhere to repent.”.. Some, indeed, stirred uneasily + as the rector paused, lowering their eyes before the intensity of his + glance, vaguely realizing that the man had flung the whole passion of his + being into the appeal. + </p> + <p> + Heedlessness—that was God's accusation against them, against the + age. Materialism, individualism! So absorbed were they in the pursuit of + wealth, of distraction, so satisfied with the current philosophy, so + intent on surrounding themselves with beautiful things and thus shutting + out the sterner view, that they had grown heedless of the divine message. + How few of them availed themselves of their spiritual birthright to renew + their lives at the altar rail! And they had permitted their own children + to wander away.... Repent! + </p> + <p> + There was a note of desperation in his appeal, like that of the hermit who + stands on a mountain crag and warns the gay and thoughtless of the valley + of the coming avalanche. Had they heard him at last? There were a few + moments of tense silence, during which he stood gazing at them. Then he + raised his arm in benediction, gathered up his surplice, descended the + pulpit steps, and crossed swiftly the chancel.... + </p> + <p> + He had, as it were, turned on all the power in a supreme effort to reach + them. What if he had failed again? Such was the misgiving that beset him, + after the service, as he got out of his surplice, communicated by some + occult telepathy.... Mr. Parr was awaiting him, and summoning his courage, + hope battling against intuition, he opened the door into the now empty + church and made his way toward the porch, where the sound of voices warned + him that several persons were lingering. The nature of their + congratulations confirmed his doubts. Mrs. Plimpton, resplendent and + looking less robust than usual in one of her summer Paris gowns, greeted + him effusively. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Mr. Hodder, what a wonderful sermon!” she cried. “I can't express how + it made me feel—so delinquent! Of course that is exactly the effect + you wished. And I was just telling Wallis I was so glad I waited until + Tuesday to go East, or I should have missed it. You surely must come on to + Hampton and visit us, and preach it over again in our little stone church + there, by the sea. Good-by and don't forget! I'll write you, setting the + date, only we'd be glad to have you any time.” + </p> + <p> + “One of the finest I ever heard—if not the finest,” Mr. Plimpton + declared, with a kind of serious 'empressement', squeezing his hand. + </p> + <p> + Others stopped him; Everett Constable, for one, and the austere Mrs. + Atterbury. Hodder would have avoided the ever familiar figure of her son, + Gordon, in the invariable black cutaway and checked trousers, but he was + standing beside Mr. Parr. + </p> + <p> + “Ahem! Why, Mr. Hodder,” he exclaimed, squinting off his glasses, “that + was a magnificent effort. I was saying to Mr. Parr that it isn't often one + hears a sermon nowadays as able as that, and as sound. Many clergymen + refrain from preaching them, I sometimes think, because they are afraid + people won't like them.” + </p> + <p> + “I scarcely think it's that,” the rector replied, a little shortly. “We're + afraid people won't heed them.” + </p> + <p> + He became aware, as he spoke, of a tall young woman, who had cast an + enigmatic glance first at Gordon Atterbury, and then at himself. + </p> + <p> + “It was a good sermon,” said Mr. Parr. “You're coming to lunch, Hodder?” + </p> + <p> + The rector nodded. “I'm ready when you are,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “The motor's waiting,” said the banker, leading the way down the steps to + the sidewalk, where he turned. “Alison, let me introduce Mr. Hodder. This + is my daughter,” he added simply. + </p> + <p> + This sudden disclosure of the young woman's identity had upon Hodder a + certain electric effect, and with it came a realization of the extent to + which—from behind the scenes, so to speak—she had gradually + aroused him to a lively speculation. She seemed to have influenced, to a + greater or less degree, so many lives with which he had come into touch! + Compelled persons to make up their minds about her! And while he + sympathized with Eldon Parr in his abandonment, he had never achieved the + full condemnation which he felt—an impartial Christian morality + would have meted out. + </p> + <p> + As he uttered the conventional phrase and took her hand, he asked himself + whether her personality justified his interest. Her glance at Gordon + Atterbury in the midst of that gentleman's felicitations on the sermon had + been expressive, Hodder thought, of veiled amusement slightly tinctured + with contempt; and he, Hodder, felt himself to have grown warm over it. He + could not be sure that Alison Parr had not included, in her inner comment, + the sermon likewise, on which he had so spent himself. What was she doing + at church? As her eyes met his own, he seemed to read a challenge. He had + never encountered a woman—he decided—who so successfully + concealed her thought, and at the same time so incited curiosity about it. + </p> + <p> + The effect of her reappearance on Gordon Atterbury was painfully apparent, + and Mrs. Larrabbee's remark, “that he had never got over it,” recurred to + Hodder. He possessed the virtue of being faithful, at least, in spite of + the lady's apostasy, and he seemed to be galvanized into a tenfold + nervousness as he hustled after them and handed her, with the elaborate + attention little men are apt to bestow upon women, into the motor. + </p> + <p> + “Er—how long shall you be here, Alison?” he asked. “I don't know,” + she answered, not unkindly, but with a touch of indifference. + </p> + <p> + “You treat us shamefully,” he informed her, “upon my word! But I'm coming + to call.” + </p> + <p> + “Do,” said Alison. Hodder caught her eye again, and this time he was sure + that she surprised in him a certain disdain of Mr. Atterbury's zeal. Her + smile was faint, yet unmistakable. + </p> + <p> + He resented it. Indeed, it was with a well-defined feeling of antagonism + that he took his seat, and this was enhanced as they flew westward, Mr. + Parr wholly absorbed with the speaking trumpet, energetically rebuking at + every bounce. In the back of the rector's mind lay a weight, which he + identified, at intervals, with what he was now convinced was the failure + of his sermon... Alison took no part in the casual conversation that began + when they reached the boulevard and Mr. Parr abandoned the trumpet, but + lay back in silence and apparently with entire comfort in a corner of the + limousine. + </p> + <p> + At the lunch-table Mr. Parr plunged into a discussion of some of the still + undecided details of the new settlement house, in which, as the plan + developed, he had become more and more interested. He had made himself + responsible, from time to time, for additional sums, until the original + estimate had been almost doubled. Most of his suggestions had come from + Hodder, who had mastered the subject with a thoroughness that appealed to + the financier: and he had gradually accepted the rector's idea of + concentrating on the children. Thus he had purchased an adjoining piece of + land that was to be a model playground, in connection with the gymnasium + and swimming-pool. The hygienic department was to be all that modern + science could desire. + </p> + <p> + “If we are going to do the thing,” the banker would, remark, “we may as + well do it thoroughly; we may as well be leaders and not followers.” + </p> + <p> + So, little by little, the scheme had grown to proportions that sometimes + appalled the rector when he realized how largely he had been responsible + for the additions,—in spite of the lukewarmness with which he had + begun. And yet it had occasionally been Mr. Parr who, with a sweep of his + hand, had added thousands to a particular feature: thus the dance-hall had + become, in prospect, a huge sun-parlour at the top of the building, where + the children were to have their kindergartens and games in winter; and + which might be shaded and opened up to the breezes in summer. What had + reconciled Hodder to the enterprise most of all, however, was the chapel—in + the plan a beautiful Gothic church—whereby he hoped to make the + religious progress keep pace with the social. Mr. Parr was decidedly in + sympathy with this intention, and referred to it now. + </p> + <p> + “I was much impressed by what you said in your sermon to-day as to the + need of insisting upon authority in religious matters,” he declared, “and + I quite agree that we should have a chapel of some size at the settlement + house for that reason. Those people need spiritual control. It's what the + age needs. And when I think of some of the sermons printed in the + newspapers to-day, and which are served up as Christianity, there is only + one term to apply to them—they are criminally incendiary.” + </p> + <p> + “But isn't true Christianity incendiary, in your meaning of the word?” + </p> + <p> + It was Alison who spoke, in a quiet and musical voice that was in striking + contrast to the tone of Mr. Parr, which the rector had thought unusually + emphatic. It was the first time she had shown an inclination to contribute + to the talk. But since Hodder had sat down at the table her presence had + disturbed him, and he had never been wholly free from an uncomfortable + sense that he was being measured and weighed. + </p> + <p> + Once or twice he had stolen a glance at her as she sat, perfectly at ease, + and asked himself whether she had beauty, and it dawned upon him little by + little that the very proportion she possessed made for physical + unobtrusiveness. She was really very tall for a woman. At first he would + have said her nose was straight, when he perceived that it had a delicate + hidden curve; her eyes were curiously set, her dark hair parted in the + middle, brought down low on each side of the forehead and tied in a + Grecian knot. Thus, in truth, he observed, were seemingly all the elements + of the classic, even to the firm yet slender column of the neck. How had + it eluded him? + </p> + <p> + Her remark, if it astonished Hodder, had a dynamic effect on Eldon Parr. + And suddenly the rector comprehended that the banker had not so much been + talking to him as through him; had been, as it were, courting opposition. + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean by Christianity being incendiary?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “Incendiary, from your point of view—I made, the qualification,” + Alison replied, apparently unmoved by his obvious irritation. “I don't + pretend to be a Christian, as you know, but if there is one element in + Christianity that distinguishes it, it is the brotherhood of man. That's + pure nitroglycerin, though it's been mixed with so much sawdust. + Incendiary is a mild epithet. I never read the sermons you refer to; I + dare say they're crude, but they're probably attempts to release an + explosive which would blow your comfortable social system and its + authority into atoms.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder, who had listened in amazement, glanced at the banker. He had never + before heard him opposed, or seen him really angry. + </p> + <p> + “I've heard that doctrine,” cried Mr. Parr. “Those who are dissatisfied + with things as they are because they have been too stupid or too weak or + self-indulgent to rise, find it easy to twist the principles of + Christianity into revolutionary propaganda. It's a case of the devil + quoting Scripture. The brotherhood of man! There has never been an age + when philanthropy and organized charity were on such a scale as to-day.” + </p> + <p> + A certain gallant, indomitable ring crept into Alison's voice; she did not + seem in the least dismayed or overborne. + </p> + <p> + “But isn't that just where most so-called Christians make their mistake?” + she asked. “Philanthropy and organized charity, as they exist to-day, have + very little to do with the brotherhood of man. Mightn't it be you who are + fooling yourselves instead of the incendiaries fooling themselves So long + as you can make yourselves believe that this kind of charity is a logical + carrying out of the Christian principles, so long are your consciences + satisfied with the social system which your class, very naturally, finds + so comfortable and edifying. The weak and idiotic ought to be absurdly + grateful for what is flung to them, and heaven is gained in the throwing. + In this way the rich inevitably become the elect, both here and hereafter, + and the needle's eye is widened into a gap.” + </p> + <p> + There was on Mr. Parr's lips a smile not wholly pleasant to see. Indeed, + in the last few minutes there had been revealed to Hodder a side of the + banker's character which had escaped him in the two years of their + acquaintance. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose,” said Mr. Parr, slowly, drumming on the table, “you would say + that of the new settlement house of St. John's, whereby we hope to raise a + whole neighbourhood.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I should,” replied Alison, with spirit. “The social system by which + you thrive, and which politically and financially you strive to maintain, + is diametrically opposed to your creed, which is supposed to be the + brotherhood of man. But if that were really your creed, you would work for + it politically and financially. You would see that your Church is trying + to do infinitesimally what the government, but for your opposition, might + do universally. Your true creed is the survival of the fittest. You grind + these people down into what is really an economic slavery and dependence, + and then you insult and degrade them by inviting them to exercise and read + books and sing hymns in your settlement house, and give their children + crackers and milk and kindergartens and sunlight! I don't blame them for + not becoming Christians on that basis. Why, the very day I left New York a + man over eighty, who had been swindled out of all he had, rather than go + to one of those Christian institutions deliberately forged a check and + demanded to be sent to the penitentiary. He said he could live and die + there with some self-respect.” + </p> + <p> + “I might have anticipated that you would ultimately become a Socialist, + Alison,” Mr. Parr remarked—but his voice trembled. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know whether I'm a Socialist or an Anarchist,” she answered. + Hodder thought he detected a note of hopelessness in her voice, and the + spirit in it ebbed a little. Not only did she seem indifferent to her + father's feeling—which incidentally added fuel to it—but her + splendid disregard of him, as a clergyman, had made an oddly powerful + appeal. And her argument! His feelings, as he listened to this tremendous + arraignment of Eldon Parr by his daughter, are not easily to be described. + To say that she had compelled him, the rector of St. John's, at last to + look in the face many conditions which he had refused to recognize would + be too definite a statement. Nevertheless, some such thing had occurred. + Refutations sprang to his lips, and died there, though he had no notion of + uttering them. He saw that to admit her contentions would be to behold + crumble into ruins the structure that he had spent a life in rearing; and + yet something within him responded to her words—they had the + passionate, convincing ring of truth. + </p> + <p> + By no means the least of their disturbing effects was due to the fact that + they came as a climax to, as a fulfilment of the revelation he had had at + the Fergusons', when something of the true nature of Mr. Plimpton and + others of his congregation had suddenly been laid bare. And now Hodder + looked at Eldon Parr to behold another man from the one he had known, and + in that moment realized that their relationship could never again be the + same... Were his sympathies with the daughter? + </p> + <p> + “I don't know what I believe,” said Alison, after a pause. “I've ceased + trying to find out. What's the use!” She appeared now to be addressing no + one in particular. + </p> + <p> + A servant entered with a card, and the banker's hand shook perceptibly as + he put down his claret and adjusted his glasses. + </p> + <p> + “Show him into my office upstairs, and tell him I'll see him at once,” he + said, and glanced at the rector. But it was Alison whom he addressed. “I + must leave Mr. Hodder to answer your arguments,” he added, with an attempt + at lightness; and then to the rector: “Perhaps you can convince her that + the Church is more sinned against than sinning, and that Christians are + not such terrible monsters after all. You'll excuse me?” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly.” Hodder had risen. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + “Shall we have coffee in the garden?” Alison asked. “It's much nicer + outside this time of year.” + </p> + <p> + For an instant he was at a loss to decide whether to accede, or to make an + excuse and leave the house. Wisdom seemed to point to flight. But when he + glanced at her he saw to his surprise that the mood of abstraction into + which she had fallen still held her; that the discussion which had aroused + Eldon Parr to such dramatic anger had left her serious and thoughtful. She + betrayed no sense of triumph at having audaciously and successfully + combated him, and she appeared now only partially to be aware of Hodder's + presence. His interest, his curiosity mounted suddenly again, overwhelming + once more the antagonism which he had felt come and go in waves; and once + more his attempted classification of her was swept away. She had relapsed + into an enigma. + </p> + <p> + “I like the open air,” he answered, “and I have always wished to see the + garden. I have admired it from the windows.” + </p> + <p> + “It's been on my mind for some years,” she replied, as she led the way + down a flight of steps into the vine-covered pergola. “And I intend to + change parts of it while I am out here. It was one of my first attempts, + and I've learned more since.” + </p> + <p> + “You must forgive my ignorant praise,” he said, and smiled. “I have always + thought it beautiful: But I can understand that an artist is never + satisfied.” + </p> + <p> + She turned to him, and suddenly their eyes met and held in a momentary, + electric intensity that left him warm and agitated. There was nothing + coquettish in the glance, but it was the first distinct manifestation that + he was of consequence. She returned his smile, without levity. + </p> + <p> + “Is a clergyman ever satisfied?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “He ought not to be,” replied Hodder, wondering whether she had read him. + </p> + <p> + “Although you were so considerate, I suppose you must have thought it + presumptuous of me to criticize your profession, which is religion.” + </p> + <p> + “Religion, I think, should be everybody's,” he answered quietly. + </p> + <p> + She made no reply. And he entered, as into another world, the circular + arbour in which the pergola ended, so complete in contrast was its + atmosphere to that of the house. The mansion he had long since grown to + recognize as an expression of the personality of its owner, but this + classic bower was as remote from it as though it were in Greece. He was + sensitive to beauty, yet the beauty of the place had a perplexing quality, + which he felt in the perfect curves of the marble bench, in the marble + basin brimming to the tip with clear water,—the surface of which, + flecked with pink petals, mirrored the azure sky through the leafy network + of the roof. In one green recess a slender Mercury hastily adjusted his + sandal. + </p> + <p> + Was this, her art, the true expression of her baffling personality? As she + had leaned back in the corner of the automobile she had given him the + impression of a languor almost Oriental, but this had been startlingly + dispelled at the lunch-table by the revelation of an animation and a + vitality which had magically transformed her. But now, as under the spell + of a new encompassment of her own weaving, she seemed to revert to her + former self, sinking, relaxed, into a wicker lounge beside the basin, one + long and shapely hand in the water, the other idle in her lap. Her eyes, + he remarked, were the contradiction in her face. Had they been larger, and + almond-shaped, the illusion might have been complete. They were neither + opaque nor smouldering,—but Western eyes, amber-coloured, with + delicately stencilled rays and long lashes. And as they gazed up at him + now they seemed to reflect, without disclosing the flitting thoughts + behind them. He felt antagonism and attraction in almost equal degree—the + situation transcended his experience. + </p> + <p> + “You don't intend to change this?” he asked, with an expressive sweep of + his hand. + </p> + <p> + “No,” she said, “I've always liked it. Tell me what you feel about it.” + </p> + <p> + He hesitated. + </p> + <p> + “You resent it,” she declared. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you say that?” he demanded quickly. + </p> + <p> + “I feel it,” she answered calmly, but with a smile. + </p> + <p> + “'Resent' would scarcely be the proper word,” he contended, returning her + smile, yet hesitating again. + </p> + <p> + “You think it pagan,” she told him. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps I do,” he answered simply, as though impressed by her felicitous + discovery of the adjective. + </p> + <p> + Alison laughed. + </p> + <p> + “It's pagan because I'm pagan, I suppose.” + </p> + <p> + “It's very beautiful—you have managed to get an extraordinary + atmosphere,” he continued, bent on doing himself an exact justice. “But I + should say, if you pressed me, that it represents to me the deification of + beauty to the exclusion of all else. You have made beauty the Alpha and + Omega.” + </p> + <p> + “There is nothing else for me,” she said. + </p> + <p> + The coffee-tray arrived and was deposited on a wicker table beside her. + She raised herself on an elbow, filled his cup and handed it to him. + </p> + <p> + “And yet,” he persisted, “from the manner in which you spoke at the table—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, don't imagine I haven't thought? But thinking isn't—believing.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” he admitted, with a touch of sadness, “you are right. There were + certain comments you made on the Christian religion—” + </p> + <p> + She interrupted him again. + </p> + <p> + “As to the political side of it, which is Socialism, so far as I can see. + If there is any other side, I have never been able to discover it. It + seems to me that if Christians were logical, they should be Socialists. + The brotherhood of man, cooperation—all that is Socialism, isn't it? + It's opposed to the principle of the survival of the fittest, which so + many of these so-called Christians practise. I used to think, when I came + back from Paris, that I was a Socialist, and I went to a lot of their + meetings in New York, and to lectures. But after a while I saw there was + something in Socialism that didn't appeal to me, something smothering,—a + forced cooperation that did not leave one free. I wanted to be free, I've + been striving all my life to be free,” she exclaimed passionately, and was + silent an instant, inspecting him. “Perhaps I owe you an apology for + speaking as I did before a clergyman—especially before an honest + one.” + </p> + <p> + He passed over the qualification with a characteristic smile. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, if we are going to shut our ears to criticism we'd better give up + being clergymen,” he answered. “I'm afraid there is a great deal of truth + in what you said.” + </p> + <p> + “That's generous of you!” she exclaimed, and thrilled him with the + tribute. Nor was the tribute wholly in the words: there had come + spontaneously into her voice an exquisite, modulated note that haunted him + long after it had died away.... + </p> + <p> + “I had to say what I thought,” she continued earnestly; “I stood it as + long as I could. Perhaps you didn't realize it, but my father was striking + at me when he referred to your sermon, and spiritual control—and in + other things he said when you were talking about the settlement-house. He + reserves for himself the right to do as he pleases, but insists that those + who surround him shall adopt the subserviency which he thinks proper for + the rest of the world. If he were a Christian himself, I shouldn't mind it + so much.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was silent. The thought struck him with the force of a great wind. + </p> + <p> + “He's a Pharisee,” Alison went on, following the train of her thought. “I + remember the first time I discovered that—it was when I was reading + the New Testament carefully, in the hope of finding something in + Christianity I might take hold of. And I was impressed particularly by the + scorn with which Christ treated the Pharisees. My father, too, if he had + lived in those days, would have thought Christ a seditious person, an + impractical, fanatical idealist, and would have tried to trip him up with + literal questions concerning the law. His real and primary interest—is + in a social system that benefits himself and his kind, and because this is + so, he, and men like him, would have it appear that Christianity is on the + side of what they term law and order. I do not say that they are + hypocritical, that they reason this out. They are elemental; and they feel + intuitively that Christianity contains a vital spark which, if allowed to + fly, would start a conflagration beyond their control. The theologians + have helped them to cover the spark with ashes, and naturally they won't + allow the ashes to be touched, if they can help it.” + </p> + <p> + She lay very still. + </p> + <p> + The rector had listened to her, at first with amazement, then with more + complicated sensations as she thus dispassionately discussed the foremost + member of his congregation and the first layman of the diocese, who was + incidentally her own father. In her masterly analysis of Eldon Parr, she + had brought Hodder face to face with the naked truth, and compelled him to + recognize it. How could he attempt to refute it, with honesty? + </p> + <p> + He remembered Mr. Parr's criticism of Alison. There had been hardness in + that, though it were the cry of a lacerated paternal affection. In that, + too, a lack of comprehension, an impotent anger at a visitation not + understood, a punishment apparently unmerited. Hodder had pitied him then—he + still pitied him. In the daughter's voice was no trace of resentment. No + one, seemingly, could be farther removed from him (the rector of St. + John's) in her opinions and views of life, than Allison Parr; and yet he + felt in her an undercurrent, deep and strong, which moved him strangely, + strongly, irresistibly; he recognized a passionate desire for the truth, + and the courage to face it at any cost, and a capacity for tenderness, + revealed in flashes. + </p> + <p> + “I have hurt you,” she exclaimed. “I am sorry.” + </p> + <p> + He collected himself. + </p> + <p> + “It is not you who have hurt me,” he replied. “Reflections on the + contradictions and imperfections of life are always painful. And since I + have been here, I have seen a great deal of your father.” + </p> + <p> + “You are fond of him!” + </p> + <p> + He hesitated. It was not an ordinary conversation they were dealing with + realities, and he had a sense that vital issues were at stake. He had, in + that moment, to make a revaluation of his sentiments for the financier—to + weigh the effect of her indictment. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he answered slowly, “I am fond of him. He has shown me a side of + himself, perhaps, that other men have not seen,—and he is very + lonely.” + </p> + <p> + “You pity him.” He started at her word. “I guessed that from an expression + that crossed your face when we were at the table. But surely you must have + observed the incongruity of his relationship with your Church! Surely, in + preaching as you did this morning against materialism, individualism, + absorption in the pursuit of wealth, you must have had my father in mind + as the supreme example! And yet he listened to you as serenely as though + he had never practised any of these things! + </p> + <p> + “Clergymen wonder why Christianity doesn't make more progress to-day; + well, what strikes the impartial observer who thinks about the subject at + all, as one reason, is the paralyzing inconsistency of an alliance between + those who preach the brotherhood of man and those who are opposed to it. + I've often wondered what clergymen would say about it, if they were frank—only + I never see any clergymen.” + </p> + <p> + He was strongly agitated. He did not stop—strangely enough—to + reflect how far they had gone, to demand by what right she brought him to + the bar, challenged the consistency of his life. For she had struck, with + a ruthless precision, at the very core of his trouble, revealed it for + what it was. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said, “I can see how we may be accused of inconsistency, and + with much justice.” + </p> + <p> + His refusal to excuse and vindicate himself impressed her as no attempt at + extenuation could have done. Perhaps, in that moment, her quick instinct + divined something of his case, something of the mental suffering he strove + to conceal. Contrition shone in her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “I ought not to have said that,” she exclaimed gently. “It is so easy for + outsiders to criticize those who are sincere—and I am sure you are. + We cannot know all the perplexities. But when we look at the Church, we + are puzzled by that—which I have mentioned—and by other + things.” + </p> + <p> + “What other things?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + She hesitated in her turn. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose you think it odd, my having gone to church, feeling as I do,” + she said. “But St. John's is now the only place vividly associated with my + mother. She was never at home here, in this house. I always go at least + once when I am out here. And I listened to your sermon intently.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “I wanted to tell you this: you interested me as I had not been interested + since I was twenty, when I made a desperate attempt to become a Christian—and + failed. Do you know how you struck me? It was as a man who actually had a + great truth which he was desperately trying to impart, and could not. I + have not been in a church more than a dozen times in the last eight years, + but you impressed me as a man who felt something—whatever it is.” + </p> + <p> + He did not speak. + </p> + <p> + “But why,” she cried, “do you insist on what you cell authority? As a + modern woman who has learned to use her own mind, I simply can't believe, + if the God of the universe is the moral God you assert him to be, that he + has established on earth an agency of the kind you infer, and delegated to + it the power of life and death over human souls. Perhaps you do not go so + far, but if you make the claim at all you must make it in its entirety. + There is an idea of commercialism, of monopoly in that conception which is + utterly repugnant to any one who tries to approach the subject with a + fresh mind, and from an ideal point of view. And religion must be idealism—mustn't + it? + </p> + <p> + “Your ancient monks and saints weren't satisfied until they had settled + every detail of the invisible world, of the past and future. They mapped + it out as if it were a region they had actually explored, like + geographers. They used their reason, and what science they had, to make + theories about it which the churches still proclaim as the catholic and + final truth. You forbid us to use our reason. You declare, in order to + become Christians, that we have to accept authoritative statements. Oh, + can't you see that an authoritative statement is just what an ethical + person doesn't want? Belief—faith doesn't consist in the mere + acceptance of a statement, but in something much higher—if we can + achieve it. Acceptance of authority is not faith, it is mere credulity, it + is to shirk the real issue. We must believe, if we believe at all, without + authority. If we knew, there would be no virtue in striving. If I choose a + God,” she added, after a pause, “I cannot take a consensus of opinion + about him,—he must be my God.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not speak immediately. Strange as it may seem, he had never + heard the argument, and the strength of it, reenforced by the + extraordinary vitality and earnestness of the woman who had uttered it, + had a momentary stunning effect. He sat contemplating her as she lay back + among the cushions, and suddenly he seemed to see in her the rebellious + child of which her father had spoken. No wonder Eldon Parr had + misunderstood her, had sought to crush her spirit! She was to be dealt + with in no common way, nor was the consuming yearning he discerned in her + to be lightly satisfied. + </p> + <p> + “The God of the individualist,” he said at length—musingly, not + accusingly. + </p> + <p> + “I am an individualist,” she admitted simply. “But I am at least logical + in that philosophy, and the individualists who attend the churches to-day + are not. The inconsistency of their lives is what makes those of us who do + not go to church doubt the efficacy of their creed, which seems to have no + power to change them. The majority of people in St. John's are no more + Christians than I am. They attend service once a week, and the rest of the + time they are bent upon getting all they can of pleasure and profit for + themselves. Do you wonder that those who consider this spectacle come + inevitably to the conclusion that either Christianity is at fault, is + outworn, or else that it is presented in the wrong way?” + </p> + <p> + The rector rose abruptly, walked to the entrance of the arbour, and stood + staring out across the garden. Presently he turned and came back and stood + over her. + </p> + <p> + “Since you ask me,” he said slowly, “I do not wonder at it.” + </p> + <p> + She raised her eyes swiftly. + </p> + <p> + “When you speak like that,” she exclaimed with an enthusiasm that stirred + him, despite the trouble of his mind, “I cannot think of you as a + clergyman,—but as a man. Indeed,” she added, in the surprise of her + discovery, “I have never thought of you as a clergyman—even when I + first saw you this morning. I could not account then for a sense of + duality about you that puzzled me. Do you always preach as earnestly as + that?” + </p> + <p> + “Why?” + </p> + <p> + “I felt as if you were throwing your whole soul into the effort-=oh, I + felt it distinctly. You made some of them, temporarily, a little + uncomfortable, but they do not understand you, and you didn't change them. + It seemed to me you realized this when Gordon Atterbury spoke to you. I + tried to analyze the effect on myself—if it had been in the + slightest degree possible for my reason to accept what you said you might, + through sheer personality, have compelled me to reconsider. As it was, I + found myself resisting you.” + </p> + <p> + With his hands clasped behind him, he paced across the arbour and back + again. + </p> + <p> + “Have you ever definitely and sincerely tried to put what the Church + teaches into practice?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Orthodox Christianity? penance, asceticism, self-abnegation—repression—falling + on my knees and seeking a forgiveness out of all proportion to the + trespass, and filled with a sense of total depravity? If I did that I + should lose myself—the only valuable thing I've got.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder, who had resumed his pacing, glanced at her involuntarily, and + fought an inclination to agree with her. + </p> + <p> + “I see no one upon whom I can rely but myself,” she went on with the + extraordinary energy she was able to summon at will, “and I am convinced + that self-sacrifice—at least, indiscriminate, unreasoning + self-sacrifice—is worse than useless, and to teach it is criminal + ignorance. None of the so-called Christian virtues appeals to me: I hate + humility. You haven't it. The only happiness I can see in the world lies + in self-expression, and I certainly shouldn't find that in sewing garments + for the poor. + </p> + <p> + “The last thing that I could wish for would be immortality as orthodox + Christianity depicts it! And suppose I had followed the advice of my + Christian friends and remained here, where they insisted my duty was, what + would have happened to me? In a senseless self-denial I should gradually + have, withered into a meaningless old maid, with no opinions of my own, + and no more definite purpose in life than to write checks for charities. + Your Christianity commands that women shall stay at home, and declares + that they are not entitled to seek their own salvation, to have any place + in affairs, or to meddle with the realm of the intellect. Those forbidden + gardens are reserved for the lordly sex. St. Paul, you say, put us in our + proper place some twenty centuries ago, and we are to remain there for all + time.” + </p> + <p> + He felt sweeping through him the reverse current of hostility. + </p> + <p> + “And what I preach,” he asked, “has tended to confirm you in such a mean + conception of Christianity?” + </p> + <p> + Her eye travelled over the six feet of him—the kindling, reflecting + eye of the artist; it rested for a moment on the protesting locks of his + hair, which apparently could not be cut short enough to conform; on the + hands, which were strong and sinewy; on the wide, tolerant mouth, with its + rugged furrows, on the breadth and height of the forehead. She lay for a + moment, inert, considering. + </p> + <p> + “What you preach—yes,” she answered, bravely meeting his look. “What + you are—no. You and your religion are as far apart as the poles. Oh, + this old argument, the belief that has been handed down to the man, the + authority with which he is clothed, and not the man himself! How can one + be a factor in life unless one represents something which is the fruit of + actual, personal experience? Your authority is for the weak, the timid, + the credulous,—for those who do not care to trust themselves, who + run for shelter from the storms of life to a 'papier-mache' fortress, made + to look like rock. In order to preach that logically you should be a white + ascetic, with a well-oiled manner, a downcast look lest you stumble in + your pride; lest by chance you might do something original that sprang out + of your own soul instead of being an imitation of the saints. And if your + congregation took your doctrine literally, I can see a whole army of + white, meek Christians. But you are not like that. Can't you see it for + yourself?” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Can't you feel that you are an individual, a personality, a force that + might be put to great uses? That will be because you are open-minded, + because there is room in you for growth and change?” + </p> + <p> + He strove with all his might to quell the inner conflagration which she + had fanned into leaping flames. Though he had listened before to doubt and + criticism, this woman, with her strange shifting moods of calm and + passion, with her bewildering faculty of changing from passive to active + resistance, her beauty (once manifest, never to be forgotten), her unique + individuality that now attracted, now repelled, seemed for the moment the + very incarnation of the forces opposed to him and his religion. Holder, as + he looked at her, had a flash of fierce resentment that now, of all times, + she should suddenly have flung herself across his path. For she was to be + reckoned with. Why did he not tell her she was an egoist? Why didn't he + speak out, defend his faith, denounce her views as prejudiced and false? + </p> + <p> + “Have I made you angry?” he heard her say. “I am sorry.” + </p> + <p> + It was the hint of reproach in her tone to which the man in him instantly + responded. And what he saw now was his portrait she had painted. The + thought came to him: was he indeed greater, more vital than the religion + he professed? God forbid! Did he ring true, and it false? + </p> + <p> + She returned his gaze. And gradually, under her clear olive skin, he saw + the crimson colour mounting higher.... She put forth her hand, simply, + naturally, and pressed his own, as though they had been friends for a + lifetime.... + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X. THE MESSENGER IN THE CHURCH + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + The annual scourge of summer had descended pitilessly upon the city once + more, enervating, depressing, stagnating, and people moved languidly in + the penetrating heat that steamed from the pores of the surrounding river + bottoms. + </p> + <p> + The rector of St. John's realized that a crisis had come in his life,—a + crisis he had tried to stave off in vain. And yet there was a period + during which he pursued his shrunken duties as though nothing had happened + to him; as a man who has been struck in battle keeps on, loath to examine, + to acknowledge the gravity of his wound; fearing to, perhaps. Sometimes, + as his mind went back to the merciless conflict of his past, his + experience at the law school, it was the unchaining of that other man he + dreaded, the man he believed himself to have finally subdued. But night + and day he was haunted by the sorrowful and reproachful face of Truth. + </p> + <p> + Had he the courage, now, to submit the beliefs which had sustained him all + these years to Truth's inexorable inspection? Did he dare to turn and open + those books which she had inspired,—the new philosophies, the + historical criticisms which he had neglected and condemned, which he had + flattered himself he could do without,—and read of the fruit of + Knowledge? Twice, thrice he had hesitated on the steps of the big library, + and turned away with a wildly beating heart. + </p> + <p> + Day by day the storm increased, until from a cloud on the horizon it grew + into a soul-shaking tempest. Profoundly moved Parr's he had been on that + Sunday afternoon, in Eldon Parr's garden, he had resolutely resolved to + thrust the woman and the incident from his mind, to defer the + consideration of the questions she had raised—grave though they were—to + a calmer period. For now he was unable to separate her, to eliminate the + emotion—he was forced to acknowledge—the thought of her + aroused, from the problems themselves. Who was she? At moments he seemed + to see her shining, accusing, as Truth herself, and again as a Circe who + had drawn him by subtle arts from his wanderings, luring him to his death; + or, at other times, as the mutinous daughter of revolt. But when he felt, + in memory, the warm touch of her hand, the old wildness of his nature + responded, he ceased to speculate or care, and he longed only to crush and + subdue her by the brute power of the man in him. For good or bad, she had + woven her spell. + </p> + <p> + Here was the old, elemental, twofold contest, carnal and spiritual, + thoroughly revived!... + </p> + <p> + He recalled, in his musings, the little theological school surrounded by + southern woods and fields, where he had sometime walked under autumn + foliage with the elderly gentleman who had had such an influence on his + life—the dean. Mild-mannered and frail, patient in ordinary + converse,—a lion for the faith. He would have died for it as + cheerfully as any martyr in history. By the marvels of that faith Holder + had beheld, from his pew in the chapel, the little man transformed. He + knew young men, their perplexities and temptations, and he dealt with them + personally, like a father. Holder's doubts were stilled, he had gained + power of his temptations and peace for his soul, and he had gone forth + inspired by the reminder that there was no student of whom the dean + expected better things. Where now were the thousands of which he had + dreamed, and which he was to have brought into the Church?... + </p> + <p> + Now, he asked himself, was it the dean, or the dean's theology through + which his regeneration had come? Might not the inherent goodness of the + dean be one thing, and his theology quite another? Personality again! He + recalled one of the many things which Alison Parr had branded on his + memory,—“the belief, the authority in which the man is clothed, and + not the man!” The dean's God had remained silent on the subject of + personality. Or, at the best, he had not encouraged it; and there were—Hodder + could not but perceive—certain contradictions in his character, + which were an anomalistic blending of that of the jealous God of Moses and + of the God of Christ. There must be continuity—God could not change. + Therefore the God of infinite love must retain the wrath which visited + sins of the fathers on the children, which demanded sacrifice, atonement,—an + exact propitiation for his anger against mankind. An innocent life of + sorrow and suffering! + </p> + <p> + And again, “You and your religion are as far apart as the poles!” Had he, + Hodder, outgrown the dean's religion, or had it ever been his own? Was + there, after all, such a thing as religion? Might it not be merely a + figment of the fertile imagination of man? He did not escape the terror of + this thought when he paused to consider his labour of the past two years + and the vanity of its results. And little by little the feeling grew upon + him, such being the state of his mind, that he ought not to continue, for + the present at least, to conduct the services. Should he resign, or go + away for a while to some quiet place before he made such a momentous + decision? There was no one to whom he could turn; no layman, and no + clergyman; not even the old bishop, whom he had more than once mentally + accused of being, too broad and too tolerant! No, he did not wish a + clergyman's solution. The significance of this thought flashed through him—that + the world itself was no longer seeking clergymen's solutions. He must go + off alone, and submit his faith to the impartial test. + </p> + <p> + It was in a vigil of the night, when he lay in the hot darkness, unable to + sleep, that he came at length to this resolve. And now that he had cut the + knot he was too just to blame Alison Parr for having pointed out—with + what often had seemed a pitiless cruelty—something of which he had + had a constantly growing perception yet had continually sought to evade. + And he reviewed, as the church bells recorded the silent hours, how, + little by little, his confidence had crumbled before the shocks of the + successive revelations—some of them so slight that they had passed + unnoticed: comparisons, inevitably compelled; Dalton Street; the + confessions of Eleanor Goodrich and Mrs. Constable; Mr. Plimpton and his + views of life—Eldon Parr! Even the slamming of the carriage doors in + Burton Street had had a significance! + </p> + <p> + Might it not prove that this woman had let fall into the turbid waters of + his soul the drop that was to clear them forever? He would go away. He + would not see her again. + </p> + <p> + Over the sleeping city, unapprehended, stole the dawn. + </p> + <p> + He arose, but instead of falling on his knees he went to the window and + lifted his face to the whitening sky.... Slowly out of the obscurity of + the earth's shadow emerged the vague outlines of familiar things until + they stood sharply material, in a silence as of death. A sparrow + twittered, and suddenly the familiar, soot-grimed roofs were bathed in + light, and by a touch made beautiful.... + </p> + <p> + Some hours later the city was wide awake. And Hodder, bathed and dressed, + stood staring down from his study window into the street below, full now + of young men and girls; some with set faces, hurrying, intent, others + romping and laughing as they dodged the trucks and trolley cars; all on + their way to the great shoe factory around the corner, the huge funnels of + which were belching forth smoke into the morning air. The street emptied, + a bell rang, a whistle blew, the hum of distant machinery began.... + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Later that morning Hodder sat in his study. The shutters were closed, and + the intensity of the tropical glare without was softened and diffused by + the slanting green slats. His eye wandered over the long and comfortable + room which had been his sanctuary in the feverish days of his ministry, + resting affectionately on the hospitable chairs, the wide fireplace before + which he had been wont to settle himself on winter nights, and even on the + green matting—a cooling note in summer. And there, in the low cases + along the walls, were the rows of his precious books,—his one hobby + and extravagance. He had grown to love the room. Would he ever come back + to it? + </p> + <p> + A step sounded in the hall, a knock, and the well-known gaunt form and + spectacled face of McCrae appeared in the doorway. + </p> + <p> + “Ye wished to see me?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “McCrae,” said the rector, “I am going off for a while.” + </p> + <p> + His assistant regarded him a moment in silence. Although Hodder had no + intention of explaining his reasons, he had a curious conviction that it + were superfluous to do so, that McCrae had guessed them. + </p> + <p> + “Why shouldn't ye? There's but a handful left to preach to in this + weather.” + </p> + <p> + “I wouldn't go, in this sudden way, if it were not imperative,” Hodder + added, trying to speak calmly. + </p> + <p> + “Why shouldn't ye?” McCrae repeated, almost fiercely. + </p> + <p> + Hodder smiled in spite of himself. + </p> + <p> + “There's no reason,” he said, “except the added work put on you without + warning, and in this heat.” + </p> + <p> + “Ye'll not need to worry,” his assistant assured him, “the heat's nothing + to me.” McCrae hesitated, and then demanded abruptly, “Ye'll not be + visiting?” + </p> + <p> + The question took Hodder by surprise. + </p> + <p> + “No,” he answered quickly, and not quite steadily, and hesitated in his + turn, “I shan't be visiting.” + </p> + <p> + “It's a rest ye need, I've been wanting to say it.” McCrae took a step + forward, and for a moment it seemed as though he were at last about to + break the bonds of his reserve. Perhaps he detected an instinctive + shrinking on the rector's part. At any rate, there was another instant of + silence, in which the two men faced each other across the desk, and McCrae + held out his hand. “Good luck to ye,” he said, as Hodder took it, “and + don't have the pariah on your mind. Stay till ye're rested, and come back + to us.” + </p> + <p> + He left the room abruptly. Hodder remained motionless, looking after him, + and then, moved apparently by a sudden impulse, started toward the door,—only + to halt and turn before he got to it. Almost he had opened his lips to + call his assistant back. He could not do it—the moment had come and + fled when it might have been possible. Did this man hide, under his + brusqueness and brevity of speech, the fund of wisdom and the wider + sympathy and understanding he suspected? Hodder could have vouched for it, + and yet he had kept his own counsel. And he was struck suddenly by the + significance of the fact, often remarked, that McCrae in his brief and + common-sense and by no means enlivening sermons had never once referred in + any way to doctrine or dogma! + </p> + <p> + He spent half an hour in collecting and bestowing in two large valises + such articles as his simple needs would demand, and then set out for a + railroad office in the business portion of the city, where he bought his + ticket and berth. Then, after a moment of irresolution on the threshold of + the place, he turned to the right, thrusting his way through the sluggish + crowds on Tower Street until he came to the large bookstore where he had + been want to spend, from time to time, some of his leisure moments. A + clerk recognized him, and was about to lead the way to the rear, where the + precious editions were kept, when Hodder stopped him. + </p> + <p> + In casting about for a beginning in his venture over unknown seas, there + had naturally come into his mind three or four works which were anathema + to the orthodox; one of which, in seven volumes, went back to his seminary + days, and had been the subject of a ringing, denunciatory sermon by the + dean himself. Three of them were by Germans of established reputations, + another by a professor of the University of Paris. The habit of years is + strong. + </p> + <p> + And though he knew that many clergymen read these books, Hodder found it + impossible to overcome a nervous sense of adventure,—nay (knowing + his resolution), of apostasy, almost of clandestine guilt when he + mentioned them. And it seemed to him that the face of the clerk betrayed + surprise. One of the works was not in stock; he would send the others that + afternoon. Mr. Hodder would take them? They made a formidable parcel, but + a little handle was supplied and the rector hurried out, swinging himself + on a Tower Street car. + </p> + <p> + It must not be thought that the whole of what is called modern criticism + was new to Hodder. This would indeed be too much of a reflection on the + open-mindedness of the seminary from which he had graduated. But he found + himself, now, pondering a little cynically on that “open-mindedness”; on + that concession—if it had been a concession—to the methods of + science. There had been in truth a course of lectures on this subject; but + he saw now, very clearly, what a concerted effort had been put forward in + the rest of the teaching to minimize and discredit it. Even the professor + who gave the lectures had had the air of deploring them. Here it is, but + on the whole one would better let it alone,—such was the inference. + And he had let it alone, through all these years. + </p> + <p> + In the seminary, too, volumes by semi-learned clergymen had been thrust + into his hands, efforts which Hodder recalled now, in spite of his mental + state, with a smile. These invariably championed the doctrine of the + virgin birth as the pillar on which the Incarnation depended. A favourite + argument declared that although the Gospel texts in regard to it might be + proven untrustworthy, the miraculous birth must have happened anyway! And + one of these clerical authors whom he had more recently read, actually had + had the audacity to turn the weapons of the archenemy, science, back upon + itself. The virgin birth was an established fact in nature, and had its + place in the social economy of the bee. And did not parthenogenesis occur + in the silk moth? + </p> + <p> + In brief, the conclusion impressed upon him by his seminary instruction + was this: that historical criticism had corrected some ideas and put some + things in their right place. What these things were remained sufficiently + vague. But whenever it attacked a cherished dogma it was, on general + principles, wrong. + </p> + <p> + Once again in his cool study, he cut the cord with a trembling hand, and + while he was eating the lunch his housekeeper had prepared, dipped into + one of the larger volumes. As he read again the critical disproofs he felt + an acute, almost physical pain, as though a vital part of him were being + cut away, as his mind dwelt upon those beautiful legends to which he had + so often turned, and which had seemed the very fountain of his faith. + Legends!.... + </p> + <p> + He closed the book. The clock on the mantel struck three; his train was to + leave at five. He rose and went down into the silent church he had grown + to love, seating himself in one of the carved stalls of the choir, his eye + lingering in turn on each beautiful object: on the glowing landscape in + the window in memory of Eliza Parr, portraying the delectable country, + with the bewildered yet enraptured faces of the pilgrims in the + foreground; on the graceful, shining lectern, the aspiring arches, the + carved marble altar behind the rail, and above it the painting of the + Christ on the cross. + </p> + <p> + The hours of greatest suffering are the empty hours. 'Eloi, Eloi, lama + sabachthani?' The hours when the mysterious sustaining and driving force + is withdrawn, and a lassitude and despair comes over us like that of a + deserted child: the hours when we feel we have reached the limit of + service, when our brief span of usefulness is done. Had God brought him, + John Hodder, to the height of the powers of his manhood only to abandon + him, to cast him adrift on the face of the waters—led him to this + great parish, with all its opportunities, only that he might fail and + flee? + </p> + <p> + He sat staring at the face of the Man on the cross. Did he, in his + overwrought state, imagine there an expression he had never before + remarked, or had the unknown artist of the seventies actually risen above + the mediocrity of the figure in his portrayal of the features of the + Christ? The rector started, and stared again. There was no weakness in the + face, no meekness, no suggestion of the conception of the sacrificed Lamb, + no hint of a beatific vision of opening heavens—and yet no + accusation, no despair. A knowing—that were nearer—a knowing + of all things through the experiencing of all things, the suffering of all + things. For suffering without revelation were vain, indeed! A perfected + wisdom that blended inevitably with a transcendent love. Love and wisdom + were one, then? To reach comprehension through conquering experience was + to achieve the love that could exclaim, “they know not what they do!” + </p> + <p> + Human or divine? Man or God? Hodder found himself inwardly repeating the + words, the controversy which had raged for nineteen hundred years, and not + yet was stilled. Perfection is divine. Human! Hodder repeated the word, as + one groping on the threshold of a great discovery.... + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + He was listening—he had for a long time been listening to a sound + which had seemed only the natural accompaniment of the drama taking place + in his soul, as though some inspired organist were expressing in exquisite + music the undercurrent of his agony. Only gradually did he become aware + that it arose from the nave of the church, and, turning, his eyes fell + upon the bowed head and shoulders of a woman kneeling in one of the pews. + She was sobbing. + </p> + <p> + His movement, he recalled afterward, did not come of a conscious volition, + as he rose and descended the chancel steps and walked toward her; he stood + for what seemed a long time on the white marble of the aisle looking down + on her, his heart wrung by the violence of her grief, which at moments + swept through her like a tempest. She seemed still young, but poverty had + marked her with unmistakable signs. The white, blue-veined hands that + clung to the railing of the pew were thin; and the shirtwaist, though + clean, was cheap and frayed. At last she rose from her knees and raised a + tear-stained face to his, staring at him in a dumb bewilderment. + </p> + <p> + “Can I do anything for you?” he said gently, “I am the rector here.” She + did not answer, but continued to stare uncomprehendingly. He sat down + beside her in the pew. + </p> + <p> + “You are in trouble,” he said. “Will you let me try to help you?” A sob + shook her—the beginning of a new paroxysm. He waited patiently until + it was over. Suddenly she got rather wildly and unsteadily to her feet. + </p> + <p> + “I must go!” she cried. “Oh, God, what would I do if—if he wasn't + there?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder rose too. She had thrust herself past him into the aisle, but if he + had not taken her arm she would have fallen. Thus they went together to + the door of the church, and out into the white, burning sunlight. In spite + of her weakness she seemed actually to be leading him, impelled by a + strange force and fled down the steps of the porch to the sidewalk. And + there she paused, seeing him still beside her. Fortunately he had his hat + in his hand. + </p> + <p> + “Where are you going?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “To take you home,” he replied firmly, “you ought not to go alone.” + </p> + <p> + A look of something like terror came into her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no!” she protested, with a vehemence that surprised him. “I am + strong. Oh, thank you, sir,—but I can go alone. It's Dicky—my + little boy. I've never left him so long. I had gone for the medicine and I + saw the church. I used to go to church, sir, before we had our troubles—and + I just went in. It suddenly came over me that God might help me—the + doctor can do nothing.” + </p> + <p> + “I will go with you,” he said. + </p> + <p> + She ceased to resist, as one submitting to the fatality of a superior + will. + </p> + <p> + The pavements that afternoon, as Hodder and the forlorn woman left the + cool porticoes of St. John's, were like the floor of a stone oven, and the + work horses wore little bonnets over their heads. Keeping to the shady + side, the rector and his companion crossed Tower Street with its trolley + cars and its awninged stores, and came to that depressing district which + had reproached him since the first Sunday of his ministry when he had + traversed it with Eldon Parr. They passed the once prosperous houses, the + corner saloons pandering to two vices, decked with the flamboyant signs of + the breweries. The trees were dying along the asphalt and in the yards, + the iron fences broken here and there, the copings stained with rust and + soot. Hodder's thoughts might have been likened to the heated air that + simmered above the bricks. + </p> + <p> + They were in Dalton Street! She seemed to have forgotten his presence, her + pace quickened as she turned into a gate and flew up a flight of dirty + stone steps, broken and sagging. Hodder took in, subconsciously, that the + house was a dingy grey, of three stories and a Mansard roof, with a bay + window on the yard side, and a fly-blown sign, “Rooms to Rent” hanging in + one window. Across the street, on a lot that had once held a similar + dignified residence, was the yellow brick building of the “Albert Hotel,” + and next door, on the east, a remodelled house of “apartments” with + speaking tubes in the doorway. + </p> + <p> + The woman led him up another flight of steps to the open door of the + house, through a hallway covered with a ragged carpet, where a dilapidated + walnut hat-rack stood, up the stairs, threading a dark passage that led + into a low-ceiled, stifling room at the very back. A stout, slatternly + person in a wrapper rose as they entered, but the mother cast herself down + beside the lounge where the child was. Hodder had a moment of fear that + she was indeed too late, so still the boy lay, so pathetically wan was the + little face and wasted the form under the cotton nightgown. The mother + passed her hand across his forehead. + </p> + <p> + “Dicky!” she whispered fearfully, “Dicky!” + </p> + <p> + He opened his eyes and smiled at her; feebly. + </p> + <p> + The stout woman, who had been looking on with that intensity of sympathy + of which the poor are capable, began waving gently the palm-leaf fan. She + was German. + </p> + <p> + “He is so good, is Dicky. He smile at me when I fan him—once, twice. + He complains not at all.” + </p> + <p> + The mother took the fan from her, hand. + </p> + <p> + “Thank you for staying with him, Mrs. Breitmann. I was gone longer than I + expected.” The fact that the child still lived, that she was again in his + presence, the absorbing act of caring for him seemed to have calmed her. + </p> + <p> + “It is nothing, what I do,” answered Mrs. Breitmann, and turned away + reluctantly, the tears running on her cheeks. “When you go again, I come + always, Mrs. Garvin. Ach!” + </p> + <p> + Her exclamation was caused by the sight of the tall figure and black coat + of the rector, and as she left the room, Mrs. Garvin turned. And he + noticed in her eyes the same expression of dread they had held when she + had protested against his coming. + </p> + <p> + “Please don't think that I'm not thankful—” she faltered. + </p> + <p> + “I am not offering you charity,” he said. “Can you not take from other + human beings what you have accepted from this woman who has just left?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, sir, it isn't that!” she cried, with a look of trust, of appeal that + was new, “I would do anything—I will do anything. But my husband—he + is so bitter against the church, against ministers! If he came home and + found you here—” + </p> + <p> + “I know—many people feel that way,” he assented, “too many. But you + cannot let a prejudice stand in the way of saving the boy's life, Mrs. + Garvin.” + </p> + <p> + “It is more than that. If you knew, sir—” + </p> + <p> + “Whatever it is,” he interrupted, a little sternly, “it must not + interfere. I will talk to your husband.” + </p> + <p> + She was silent, gazing at him now questioningly, yet with the dawning hope + of one whose strength is all but gone, and who has found at last a + stronger to lean upon. + </p> + <p> + The rector took the fan from her arrested hand and began to ply it. + </p> + <p> + “Listen, Mrs. Garvin. If you had come to the church half an hour later, I + should have been leaving the city for a place far distant.” + </p> + <p> + “You were going away? You stayed on my account?” + </p> + <p> + “I much prefer to stay, if I can be of any use, and I think I can. I am + sure I can. What is the matter with the child?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, sir—he just lies there listless and gets thinner and + thinner and weaker and weaker. Sometimes he feels sick, but not often. The + doctor don't seem to know.” + </p> + <p> + “What doctor have you?” + </p> + <p> + “His name is Welling. He's around the corner.” + </p> + <p> + “Exactly,” said the rector. “This is a case for Dr. Jarvis, who is the + best child specialist in the city. He is a friend of mine, and I intend to + send for him at once. And the boy must go to a hospital—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I couldn't, sir.” + </p> + <p> + He had a poignant realization of the agony behind the cry. She breathed + quickly through her parted lips, and from the yearning in her tired eyes—as + she gazed at the poor little form—he averted his glance. + </p> + <p> + “Now, Mrs. Garvin, you must be sensible,” he said. “This is no place for a + sick child. And it is such a nice little hospital, the one I have in mind, + and so many children get well and strong there,” he added, cheerfully. + </p> + <p> + “He wouldn't hear of it.” Hodder comprehended that she was referring to + her husband. She added inconsequently: “If I let him go, and he never came + back! Oh, I couldn't do it—I couldn't.” + </p> + <p> + He saw that it was the part of wisdom not to press her, to give her time + to become accustomed to the idea. Come back—to what? His eye + wandered about the room, that bespoke the last shifts of poverty, for he + knew that none but the desperate were driven to these Dalton Street + houses, once the dwellings of the well-to-do, and all the more pitiful for + the contrast. The heated air reeked with the smell of stale cooking. There + was a gas stove at one side, a linoleum-covered table in the centre, + littered with bottles, plates, and pitchers, a bed and chairs which had + known better days, new obviously bruised and battered by many enforced + movings. In one corner was huddled a little group of toys. + </p> + <p> + He was suddenly and guiltily aware that the woman had followed his glance. + </p> + <p> + “We had them in Alder Street,” she said. “We might have been there yet, if + we hadn't been foolish. It's a pretty street, sir—perhaps you know + it—you take the Fanshawe Avenue cars to Sherman Heights. The air is + like the country there, and all the houses are new, and Dicky had a yard + to play in, and he used to be so healthy and happy in it... We were rich + then,—not what you'd call rich,” she added apologetically, “but we + owned a little home with six rooms, and my husband had a good place as + bookkeeper in a grocery house, and every year for ten years we put + something by, and the boy came. We never knew how well off we were, until + it was taken away from us, I guess. And then Richard—he's my husband—put + his savings into a company—he thought it was so safe, and we were to + get eight per cent—and the company failed, and he fell sick and lost + his place, and we had to sell the house, and since he got well again he's + been going around trying for something else. Oh, he's tried so hard,—every + day, and all day long. You wouldn't believe it, sir. And he's so proud. He + got a job as porter, but he wasn't able to hold it—he wasn't strong + enough. That was in April. It almost broke my heart to see him getting + shabby—he used to look so tidy. And folks don't want you when you're + shabby.”... + </p> + <p> + There sprang to Hodder's mind a sentence in a book he had recently read: + “Our slums became filled with sick who need never have been sick; with + derelicts who need never have been abandoned.” + </p> + <p> + Suddenly, out of the suffocating stillness of the afternoon a woman's + voice was heard singing a concert-hall air, accompanied by a piano played + with vigour and abandon. And Hodder, following the sound, looked out + across the grimy yard—to a window in the apartment house opposite. + </p> + <p> + “There's that girl again,” said the mother, lifting her head. “She does + sing nice, and play, poor thing! There was a time when I wouldn't have + wanted to listen. But Dicky liked it so.... It's the very tune he loved. + He don't seem to hear it now. He don't even ask for Mr. Bentley any more.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Bentley?” the rector repeated. The name was somehow familiar to him. + </p> + <p> + The piano and the song ceased abruptly, with a bang. + </p> + <p> + “He lives up the street here a way—the kindest old gentleman you + ever saw. He always has candy in his pockets for the children, and it's a + sight to see them follow him up and down the sidewalk. He takes them to + the Park in the cars on Saturday afternoons. That was all Dicky could + think about at first—would he be well enough to go with Mr. Bentley + by Saturday? And he was forever asking me to tell Mr. Bentley he was sick. + I saw the old gentleman on the street to-day, and I almost went up to him. + But I hadn't the courage.” + </p> + <p> + The child moaned, stirred, and opened his eyes, gazing at them feverishly, + yet without seeming comprehension. She bent over him, calling his name.... + Hodder thrust the fan into her hand, and rose. + </p> + <p> + “I am going to telephone Dr. Jarvis,” he said, “and then I shall come + back, in order to be here when he arrives.” + </p> + <p> + She looked up at him. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, thank you, sir,—I guess it's for the best—” + </p> + <p> + Her voice died away, and the rector, seeking for the cause, saw that a man + had entered the room. He walked up to the couch and stood for a moment + staring moodily at the child, while the woman watched him, transfixed. + </p> + <p> + “Richard!” she said. + </p> + <p> + He paid no attention to her. She turned to Hodder. “This is my husband, + sir.... Richard, I went into the church—just for a moment—I—I + couldn't help it, and this gentleman—the minister—came home + with me. He wanted to—he thought I was sick. And now he's going out + to get the best doctor in the city for Dicky.” + </p> + <p> + The man turned suddenly and confronted the rector. + </p> + <p> + “Why don't you let him die, you and your church people?” he asked. “You've + done your worst to kill him.” + </p> + <p> + The woman put her hand fearfully, imploringly on the man's arm. + </p> + <p> + “Richard!” she whispered. + </p> + <p> + But as Hodder glanced from the derelict beside him a wave of comprehension + passed through him that swept him clean of indignation, of resentment. And + this man had been prosperous and happy! + </p> + <p> + “There is but one way to save the boy's life, Mr. Garvin,” he said, “and + that is to put him in charge of Dr. Jarvis.” + </p> + <p> + The man made no reply, but went over to the window, staring out into the + yard. There was something vaguely ominous in his attitude. The rector + watched him a moment, and then turned to the mother. + </p> + <p> + “You must not lose hope,” he told her. + </p> + <p> + She looked at him with terror-stricken eyes that sought to be grateful. He + had picked up his hat from a corner of the littered table, and started to + leave, when Garvin, by a sudden movement, planted himself in the doorway. + Whether he had been drinking, or whether he were merely crazed by + misfortune and the hopeless search in the heat for employment, and by lack + of proper nourishment, Hodder could not say. There was a light in his eyes + like that in a wounded animal's; and although he was thin and slight, he + had the concentrated power of desperation. + </p> + <p> + “Say, what church do you come from?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “From St. John's,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + “Eldon Parr's church?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder started, in spite of himself, at the name. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr is a member of the congregation.” + </p> + <p> + “Come off! He owns it and runs it, the same as he does everything else in + this town. Maybe you don't think I read the Sunday papers. Say, I was + respectable once, and had a good place. You wouldn't believe it, would + you?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder hesitated. There was obviously no way to pass the man except by + using physical force. + </p> + <p> + “If you have anything to say to me, Mr. Garvin, I shall be glad to talk to + you later. You must not stop me now,” he said with a touch of severity. + </p> + <p> + “You'll listen to me, right here and now,” cried Garvin. “If you think I + am going to let Eldon Parr's minister, or any one else belonging to him, + save that boy's life, you've got another guess comin'. That's all. I'd + rather have him die—d'ye hear? I'd rather have him die.” + </p> + <p> + The woman behind them whimpered.... The name was ringing like a knell in + Hodder's head—Eldon Parr! Coming, as it had, like a curse from the + lips of this wretched, half-demented creature, it filled his soul with + dismay. And the accusation had in it the profound ring of truth. He was + Eldon Parr's minister, and it was Eldon Parr who stood between him and his + opportunity. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you speak of Mr. Parr?” he asked, though the question cost him a + supreme effort. + </p> + <p> + “Why do I speak of him? My God, because he ruined me. If it hadn't been + for him, damn him, I'd have a home, and health and happiness to-day, and + the boy would be well and strong instead of lying there with the life all + but gone out of him. Eldon Parr did for me, and now he's murdered my son—that's + why I mention him.” + </p> + <p> + In the sudden intensity of his feeling, Hodder seized Garvin by the arms—arms + that were little more than skin and bone. The man might be crazed, he + might be drunk: that he believed what he was saying there could be no + question. He began to struggle violently, but the rector was strong. + </p> + <p> + “Be still,” he commanded. And suddenly, overcome less by the physical + power than by the aspect of the clergyman, an expression of bewilderment + came into his eyes, and he was quiet. Hodder dropped his arms. “I do not + intend to go until I hear what you have to say. It would be useless, at + any rate, since your child's life is at stake. Tell me how Mr. Parr has + ruined you.” + </p> + <p> + Garvin stared at him, half in suspicion, half in amazement. + </p> + <p> + “I guess you never knew of his ruining anybody, did you?” he demanded + sullenly. “Well, I'll tell you all right, and you can go and tell him. He + won't care much—he's used to it by this time, and he gets square + with God by his churches and charities. Did you ever hear of a stock + called Consolidated Tractions?” + </p> + <p> + Consolidated Tractions! In contrast to the sordid misery and degradation + of this last refuge of the desperate Hodder saw the lofty, panelled + smoking room at Francis Ferguson's, and was listening again to Wallis + Plimpton's cynical amusement as to how he and Everett Constable and Eldon + Parr himself had “gat out” before the crash; “got out” with all the money + of the wretch who now stood before him! His parishioners! his Christians! + Oh God! + </p> + <p> + The man was speaking in his shrill voice. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I was a Traction sucker, all right, and I guess you wouldn't have + to walk more than two blocks to find another in this neighbourhood. You + think Eldon Parr's a big, noble man, don't you? You're proud to run his + church, ain't you? You wouldn't believe there was a time when I thought he + was a big man, when I was kind of proud to live in the same city with him. + She'll tell you how I used to come home from the store and talk about him + after supper, and hope that the kid there would grow up into a financier + like Eldon Parr. The boys at the store talked about him: he sort of laid + hold on our imaginations with the library he gave, and Elmwood Park, and + the picture of the big organ in your church in the newspapers—and + sometimes, Mary and me and the boy, in the baby carriage, on Sunday + afternoons we used to walk around by his house, just to look at it. You + couldn't have got me to believe that Eldon Parr would put his name to + anything that wasn't straight. + </p> + <p> + “Then Consolidated Tractions came along, with Parr's, name behind it. + Everybody was talking about it, and how it was payin' eight per cent. from + the start, and extra dividends and all, and what a marvel of finance it + was. Before the kid came, as soon as I married her, we began to save up + for him. We didn't go to the theatres or nothing. Well, I put it all, five + thousand dollars, into Consolidated. She'll tell you how we sat up half + the night after we got the first dividend talking about how we'd send the + kid to college, and after we went to bed we couldn't sleep. It wasn't more + than a year after that we began to hear things—and we couldn't sleep + for sure, and the dividends stopped and the stock tumbled. Even then I + wouldn't believe it of him, that he'd take poor people's money that way + when he had more than he knew what to do with. I made up my mind if I went + down to see him and told him about it, he'd make it right. I asked the + boss for an hour off, and headed for the Parr building—I've been + there as much as fifty times since—but he don't bother with small + fry. The clerks laugh when they see me comin'... I got sick worryin', and + when I was strong enough to be around they'd filled my job at the grocery, + and it wasn't long before we had to move out of our little home in Alder + Street. We've been movin' ever since,” he cried, and tears of weakness + were in his eyes, “until we've come to this, and we'll have to get out of + here in another week. God knows where we'll go then.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder shuddered. + </p> + <p> + “Then I found out how he done it—from a lawyer. The lawyer laughed + at me, too. Say, do you wonder I ain't got much use for your church + people? Parr got a corporation lawyer named Langmaid—he's another + one of your millionnaire crooks—to fix it up and get around the law + and keep him out of jail. And then they had to settle with Tim Beatty for + something like three hundred thousand. You know who Beatty is—he + owns this city—his saloon's around here on Elm Street. All the + crooks had to be squared. Say,” he demanded aggressively, “are Parr and + Langmaid any better than Beatty, or any of the hold-up men Beatty covers? + There's a street-walker over there in those flats that's got a million + times more chance to get to heaven—if there is any—than those + financiers, as they call 'emselves—I ain't much on high finance, but + I've got some respect for a second story man now—he takes some + risks! I'll tell you what they did, they bought up the short car lines + that didn't pay and sold 'em to themselves for fifty times as much as they + were worth; and they got controlling interests in the big lines and leased + 'em to themselves with dividends guaranteed as high as eighteen per cent. + They capitalized the Consolidated for more millions than a little man like + me can think of, and we handed 'em our money because we thought they were + honest. We thought the men who listed the stock on the Exchange were + honest. And when the crash came, they'd got away with the swag, like any + common housebreakers. There were dummy directors, and a dummy president. + Eldon Parr didn't have a share—sold out everything when she went + over two hundred, but you bet he kept his stock in the leased lines, which + guarantee more than they earn. He cleaned up five million, they say.... My + money—the money that might give that boy fresh air, and good doctors + ....Say, you believe in hell, don't you? You tell Eldon Parr to keep his + charity,—he can't send any of it in here. And you'd better go back + to that church of his and pray to keep his soul out of hell.”... + </p> + <p> + His voice, which had risen even to a higher pitch, fell silent. And all at + once, without warning, Garvin sank, or rather tumbled upon the bed, + sobbing in a way that was terrible to see. The wife stole across the room, + sat down beside him, and laid her hand on his shoulder.... + </p> + <p> + In spite of the intensity of his own anguish, Hodder was conscious of a + curious detachment; and for months afterward particular smells, the sight + of a gasoline stove, a certain popular tune gave him a sharp twinge of + pain. The acid distilling in his soul etched the scene, the sounds, the + odours forever in his memory: a stale hot wind from the alley rattled the + shutter-slats, and blew the door to; the child stirred; and above the + strident, irregular weeping rose main, in ironical contrast, the piano and + the voice across the yard. In that glimpse he had into the heart of life's + terrible mystery he momentarily understood many things: he knew that + behind the abandon of the woman's song was the same terror which reigned + in the room in which he stood.... + </p> + <p> + There were voices in the passageway without, a woman saying in a German + accent,—“It is here, sir.” + </p> + <p> + There was a knock at the door.... + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI. THE LOST PARISHIONER + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Hodder opened the door. In the dingy passageway he perceived a tall figure + which immediately turned out to be that of an old gentleman. In spite of + the heat, he wore a long coat and an old-fashioned, high collar, a black + tie, under which was exposed a triangle of immaculate, pleated linen. In + one hand he held a gold-headed stick, a large tall hat of which the silk + nap was a little rubbed, a string sustaining a parcel, the brown paper + wrapping of which was soaked: in the other, a manila bag containing + lemons. + </p> + <p> + His head was bent forward a little, the high dome of it was bald, but the + white hair clustered thickly behind the temples. The face was + clean-shaven, the cheeks touched with red, the nose high and dominating, + distinctly philanthropic. And the blue eyes rested on the clergyman with a + benevolence unfeigned. + </p> + <p> + “Good afternoon, sir,” the old gentleman said; “I am told Mrs. Garvin + lives here.” + </p> + <p> + Before the rector could reply Mrs. Garvin herself stood between them. + </p> + <p> + “It's Mr. Bentley!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “I fear I'm intruding, ma'am,” he said. “But some of Dicky's little + friends have just informed me that he is ill, and I have taken the liberty + of calling to inquire.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley entered the room,—simple words to express that which was + in some sort an event. He laid his parcels on the table, his hat and stick + on a chair, and stood looking down in silence at the thin little form on + the couch. Presently he turned. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid he's very ill, ma'am,” he said gently. “You have your own + doctor, no doubt. But if you will permit me, as a friend, to make a + suggestion, we have in the city one of the best child specialists in the + United States, who is never weary of curing these little ones,—Dr. + Jarvis, and I shall be happy to ask him to come and see Dicky.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Garvin glanced at Hodder, who came forward. + </p> + <p> + “I was just about to telephone for Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Bentley, when you + arrived. I am Mr. Hodder, of St. John's.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you do, sir?” The kindly eyes, alight with a gentle flame, rested + upon the rugged figure of the rector. “I am glad that you, too, agree that + Dr. Jarvis is advisable, Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + There was a sound from the bed. Garvin had got to his feet and was staring + wildly, with reddened lids. + </p> + <p> + “Are you Horace Bentley?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “That is my name, sir,” Mr. Bentley replied. His expression of surprise + was only momentary. And in all his life Hodder had never beheld a greater + contrast in human beings than between that gracious and courtly old man + and the haggard, unkempt, unshaved, and starving outcast facing him. + Something like a film came over Garvin's eyes. + </p> + <p> + “He ruined you, too, twenty years back—Eldon Parr did for you, too. + Oh, I know his record, I've followed his trail—he got all the + Grantham stock that would have made you a millionnaire!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” replied Mr. Bentley, smiling to humour him, “that's something I have + no wish to be, sir,—a millionaire.” He met the frightened gaze of + the wife. “Good day, ma'am. If you will allow me, I'll come to-morrow + morning to learn what Dr. Jarvis will have had to say. Have courage, + ma'am, have courage. You may have faith in Dr. Jarvis.” + </p> + <p> + The poor woman was incapable of speech. Mr. Bentley picked up his hat and + stick. + </p> + <p> + “I've taken the liberty of bringing Dicky a little ice and a few lemons.” + His eyes rested again on the couch by the window. Then he turned to + Garvin, who stood mutely, staring. “Good evening, sir,” he said. “We must + look for the best.” + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + They went down the stairs of the shabby and battered house, stairs by the + side of which holes had been knocked through the faded wall-paper—scars + of frequent movings. The sound and smell of frying came out of the open + door of what once had been the parlour, and on the front steps a little + girl darted past them with a pitcher of beer. When they reached the + sidewalk Mr. Bentley halted. + </p> + <p> + “If you were intending to telephone Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Hodder, there is a + public station in the drug store just above here. I know that clergymen + are busy persons, and I am passing it, if you are pressed for time.” + </p> + <p> + “My only concern is to get Jarvis here,” said the rector. “If I may go + with you—” + </p> + <p> + Once again in the hot sunlight, reaction had set in. Hodder was suddenly + unstrung, and the kindly old gentleman beside him seemed for the instant + the only fixture in a chaotic universe. It was not until later reflection + that he realized Mr. Bentley might, by an intuitive sympathy, a depth of + understanding, have drained something of his state, since the incidents + which followed were to be accounted for on no other grounds. In such + elemental moments the frail conventions are swept away: Mr. Bentley, + whoever he might be, was no longer a stranger; and it seemed wholly + natural to be walking with him up the street, to hear him saying,—not + with perfunctory politeness but in a tone that was itself an invitation,—“With + pleasure, sir, we'll go together. And let us trust that the doctor will be + at home.” + </p> + <p> + Nor did Hodder stop to wonder, then, why Mr. Bentley should have sought in + his conversation to dissipate something of the hideous blackness of a + tragedy which must have moved him profoundly. How fortunate, he declared, + that they should have arrived before it was too late! For it was plain to + be seen that these Garvins were good people who had been broken by + adversity.... The boy had struck him particularly—a lovable, merry + little fellow whose clothes, Mr. Bentley observed, were always neatly + mended, betokening a mother with self-respect and character. He even spoke + of Garvin: adversity, worry, the heat, constant brooding over a happier + past and an uncertain future—was it surprising that the poor man's + mind had become unhinged? They must make some plan for Garvin, said Mr. + Bentley, get the man and his wife into the country for a while amongst + kindly people. This might no doubt be arranged.... + </p> + <p> + “Here we are, sir.” + </p> + <p> + The familiar smell of drugs, the sound of the trickling water in the soda + fountain roused Hodder to reality, to action, and he hurried into the + telephone booth, fumbled in the dog-eared book, got Dr. Jarvis's number + and called it. An eternity seemed to elapse before he had a reply, heard + his coin jangling in the bog, recognized the voice of the great doctor's + secretary. Yes, the doctor was in would he speak to Mr. Hodder, of St. + John's?... An interval, during which Hodder was suddenly struck with this + designation of himself. Was he still of St. John's, then? An aeon might + have elapsed since he had walked down the white marble of its aisle toward + the crouching figure in the pew. He was not that man, but another—and + still Mr. Hodder, of St. John's.... Then he heard the specialist say, + “Hello, Mr. Hodder, what can I do for you?” Heard his own voice in reply, + explaining the case. Could the doctor find time? The doctor could: he was + never too busy to attend to the poor,—though he did not say so: he + would be there—by half-past six. The rector hung up the receiver, + opened the door of the booth and mopped his brow, for the heat was + stifling. + </p> + <p> + “The doctor will go,” he explained in answer to Mr. Bentley's inquiring + look. + </p> + <p> + “Now, sir,” said the old gentleman, when they were out of the store, “we + have done all that we can for the time being. I do not live far from here. + Perhaps you would give me the pleasure of taking supper with me, if you + have no other engagement.” + </p> + <p> + No other engagement! Not until then did Hodder remember his empty rooms in + the parish house, and the train which was to have borne him away from all + this already speeding northward. He accepted gratefully, nor did he pause + to speculate upon the mystery by which the stream of his life seemed so + suddenly to have been diverted. He had, indeed, no sense of mystery in the + presence of this splendidly sane, serene old man, any more than the + children who ran after him from the dingy yards and passages, calling his + name, clinging to the skirts of his coat. These accepted him simply as an + anomalous fact in their universe, grinned at his pleasantries, and held up + grimy little hands for the kidney-shaped candy beans he drew forth from + his capacious pockets. In the intervals he reminisced to the rector about + the neighbourhood. + </p> + <p> + “It seems but a short while ago when the trees met overhead—magnificent + trees they were. The asphalt and the soot killed them. And there were + fruit trees in that yard”—he pointed with his stick to a littered + sun parched plot adjoining a battered mansion—“all pink and white + with blossoms in the spring. Mr. Hadley lived there—one of our + forgotten citizens. He is dead and gone now and his family scattered. That + other house, where the boy lies, belonged to Mr. Villars, a relation of + the Atterbury family, and I can recall very well a little girl with a pink + sash and a white dress who used to come running out to meet me with + flowers in her hands. Incredible as it may seem, she picked them in that + yard. I thought of her as I went in, how fresh and happy she used to be, + and what a different place this was for children then. She must have some + of her own by this time.” + </p> + <p> + The character of the street had changed to what might be called + shabby-genteel, and they stopped before a three-story brick house—one + of a row—that showed signs of scrupulous care. The steps were newly + scrubbed, the woodwork neatly painted. + </p> + <p> + “This is where I live, sir,” said Mr. Bentley, opening the door with a + latchkey and leading the way into a high room on the right, darkened and + cool, and filled with superb, old-fashioned rosewood furniture. It was + fitted up as a library, with tall shelves reaching almost to the ceiling. + </p> + <p> + An old negro appeared, dressed in a swallow-tailed coat. His hair was as + white as his master's, and his face creased with age. + </p> + <p> + “Sam,” said Mr. Bentley, “I have brought home a gentleman for supper.” + </p> + <p> + “Yassah, Misteh Ho'ace. I was jest agwine to open up de blin's.” + </p> + <p> + He lifted the wire screens and flung back the shutters, beamed on the + rector as he relieved him of his hat, and noiselessly retired. Curiosity, + hitherto suppressed by more powerful feelings, awoke in Hodder + speculations which ordinarily would have been aroused before: every object + in the room bespoke gentility, was eloquent of a day when wealth was + honoured and respected: photographs, daguerreotypes in old-fashioned + frames bore evidence of friendships of the past, and over the marble + mantel hung a portrait of a sweet-faced woman in the costume of the + thirties, whose eyes reminded Hodder of Mr. Bentley's. Who was she? + </p> + <p> + Hodder wondered. Presently he found himself before a photograph on the + wall beyond, at which he had been staring unconsciously. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, you recognize it,” said Mr. Bentley. + </p> + <p> + “St. John's!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” Mr. Bentley repeated, “St. John's.” He smiled at Hodder's glance of + bewilderment, and put his hand on the younger man's arm. “That picture was + taken before you were born, sir, I venture to say—in 1869. I am very + fond of it, for it gives the church in perspective, as you see. That was + Mr. Gore's house”—he indicated a square, heavily corniced mansion—“where + the hotel now stands, and that was his garden, next the church, where you + see the trees above the wall.” + </p> + <p> + The rector turned again and looked at his host, who, was gazing at the + picture thoughtfully. + </p> + <p> + “I ought to have remembered,” he said. “I have seen your name in the + church records, sir, and I have heard Mr. Waring speak of you.” + </p> + <p> + “My dear Mr. Hodder, there is no reason why you should have known me. A + great many years have passed since I was a parishioner of St. John's—a + great many years.” + </p> + <p> + “But it was you,” the rector began, uncertainly, and suddenly spoke with + conviction, “it was you who chose the architect, who did more than other + men to make the church what it is.” + </p> + <p> + “Whatever I may have done,” replied Mr. Bentley, with simple dignity, “has + brought its reward. To this day I have not ceased to derive pleasure from + it, and often I go out of my way, through Burton Street, although the view + is cramped. And sometimes,” he added, with the hint of a twinkle in his + eye, “I go in. This afternoon is not the first time I have seen you, Mr. + Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + “But—?” said the rector. He stared at the other's face, and the + question died on his lips. + </p> + <p> + “You wonder why I am no longer a parishioner. The time came when I could + not afford to be.” There was no hint of reproach in his voice, of + bitterness. He spoke regretfully, indeed, but as one stating an + incontrovertible fact. “I lost my fortune, I could not keep my pew, so I + deeded it back to the church. My old friends, Mrs. Dimock and Asa Waring, + and others, too, were very kind. But I could not accept their + hospitality.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder bowed his head in silence. What thundered indictment of the Church + of Christ could have been as severe, as wholly condemning as these few + words so dispassionately uttered by the man beside him? + </p> + <p> + The old darky entered, and announced supper. + </p> + <p> + Hodder had lost his way, yet a hand had been held out to him, and he + seized it. With a sense of being led, psychically as well as physically, + he followed Mr. Bentley into a large bedroom, where a high, four-posted + bed lifted a pleated canopy toward the ceiling. And after he had washed + his hands they entered a dining-room looking out upon a little yard in the + rear, which had been transformed into a garden. Roses, morning glories, + and nasturtiums were growing against the walls; a hose lay coiled upon the + path; the bricks, baked during the day, were splashed with water; the + leaves and petals were wet, and the acrid odour of moist earth, mingling + with perfumes, penetrated the room. Hodder paused in the window. + </p> + <p> + “Sam keeps our flowers alive,” he heard Mr. Bentley say, “I don't know + how.” + </p> + <p> + “I scrubs 'em, sah,” said Sam. “Yassah, I washes 'em like chilluns.” + </p> + <p> + He found himself, at Mr. Bentley's request, asking grace, the old darky + with reverently bent head standing behind his master; sitting down at a + mahogany table that reflected like a mirror the few pieces of old silver, + to a supper of beaten biscuits that burned one's fingers, of 'broiled + chicken and coffee, and sliced peaches and cream. Mr. Bentley was talking + of other days—not so long gone by when the great city had been a + village, or scarcely more. The furniture, it seemed, had come from his own + house in what was called the Wilderness Road, not far from the river + banks, over the site of which limited trains now rolled on their way + eastward toward the northernmost of the city's bridges. He mentioned many + names, some remembered, some forgotten, like his own; dwelt on pleasures + and customs gone by forever. + </p> + <p> + “A little while after I moved in here, I found that one old man could not + fill the whole of this house, so I let the upper floors,” he explained, + smilingly. “Some day I must introduce you to my tenants, Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + By degrees, as Hodder listened, he became calm. Like a child, he found + himself distracted, talking, asking questions: and the intervals grew + longer between the recurrent surges of fear when the memory rose before + him of the events of the day,—of the woman, the child, and the man: + of Eldon Parr and this deed he had done; hinting, as it did, of closed + chambers of other deeds yet to be opened, of countless, hidden miseries + still to be revealed: when he heard once more the tortured voice of the + banker, and the question: “How would you like to live in this house—alone?” + In contrast, now he beheld the peace in the face of the man whose worldly + goods Eldon Parr had taken, and whom he had driven out of the church. + Surely, this man had found a solution!... What was it? + </p> + <p> + Hodder thought of the child, of the verdict of Dr. Jarvis, but he lingered + on, loth to leave,—if the truth be told—afraid to leave; + drawing strength from his host's calm, wondering as to the source of it, + as to the life which was its expression; longing, yet not presuming, to + question. The twilight deepened, and the old darky lit a lamp and led the + way back to the library. + </p> + <p> + “Sam,” said Mr. Bentley, “draw up the armchair for Mr. Hodder beside the + window. It is cooler there.” + </p> + <p> + “I ought to go,” Hodder said. “I ought to see how the child is. Jarvis + will have been there by this time, and there may be necessaries—” + </p> + <p> + “Jarvis will have attended to that,” Mr. Bentley replied. “Sit down, Mr. + Hodder. I am not sure that, for the present, we have not done all in this + case that is humanly possible.” + </p> + <p> + “You mean,” said the rector, “that they will accept nothing from me.” It + came from him, spontaneously, like a cry. He had not meant to say it. “I + don't blame them. I don't blame them for losing their faith in God and + man, in the Church. I ought to have seen it before, but I was blind, + incredibly blind—until it struck me in the face. You saw it, sir, + and you left a church from which the poor are thrust out, which refuses to + heed the first precept of its Master.” + </p> + <p> + “I saw it,” answered Mr. Bentley, “but I could do nothing. Perhaps you can + do—something.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” Hodder exclaimed sharply, “why do you say that? The Church is + paralyzed, chained. How can she reach these wretched people who are the + victims of the ruthless individualism and greed of those who control her? + You know—that man, Mr. Bentley.” (Hodder could not bring himself to + pronounce Eldon Parr's name.) “I had an affection for him, I pitied him, + because he suffers—” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” echoed Mr. Bentley, “he suffers.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was momentarily arrested by the sadness of his tone. + </p> + <p> + “But he doesn't know why he suffers—he cannot be made to see,” the + rector went on. “And he is making others suffer,—hideously, while he + imagines himself a Christian. He is the Church to that miserable, hopeless + wretch we saw to-day, and to hundreds of the same kind whom he has driven + to desperation. And I—who am supposed to be the vicar of God—I + am powerless. They have a contempt for me, a just contempt. They thrust me + out of their doors, bid me to return and minister to their oppressors. You + were right to leave, and I should have left long since.” + </p> + <p> + He had not spoken with violence, or with a lack of control. He seemed + rather to have regained a mastery of himself, and felt as a man from whom + the shackles have been struck, proclaiming his freedom. Mr. Bentley's eyes + lighted in involuntary response as he gazed at the figure and face before + him. He pressed his hands together. + </p> + <p> + “If you will forgive a curiosity, Mr. Hodder, that is somewhat due to my + interest in a church with which I have many precious associations, may I + ask if this is a sudden determination on your part?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” Hodder said. “I have known ever since I came here that something was + wrong, but at first I couldn't see it, and after that I wouldn't see it. + That is about what happened, as I look back on it. + </p> + <p> + “But the farther in I went,” Hodder continued, “the more tangled and + bewildered I became. I was hypnotized, I think,” he added with a gesture,—“hypnotized, + as a man is who never takes his eyes from a pattern. I wanted to get at + this neighbourhood—Dalton Street—I mean, and finally I agreed + to the establishment of a settlement house over here, to be paid for + largely by Eldon Parr and Francis Ferguson. I couldn't see the folly of + such an undertaking—the supreme irony of it, until—until it + was pointed out to me.” He hesitated; the remembrance of Alison Parr ran + through him, a thread of pain. “And even then I tried to dodge the issue, + I tried to make myself believe that good might flow out of evil; that the + Church, which is supposed to be founded on the highest ideal ever + presented to man, might compromise and be practical, that she might accept + money which had been wrung from a trusting public by extortion, by thinly + disguised thievery such as this Consolidated Tractions Company fraud, and + do good with it! And at last I made up my mind to go away, to-day, to a + quiet place where I might be alone, and reflect, when by a singular + circumstance I was brought into contact with this man, Garvin. I see now, + clearly enough, that if I had gone, I should never have come back.” + </p> + <p> + “And you still intend to go?” Mr. Bentley asked. + </p> + <p> + Hodder leaned his elbow against the mantel. The lamplight had a curious + effect on Mr. Bentley's face. + </p> + <p> + “What can I do?” he demanded. The question was not aimed directly at his + host—it was in the nature of a renewed appeal to a tribunal which + had been mute, but with which he now seemed vaguely aware of a certain + contact. “Even supposing I could bring myself to accept the compromise—now + that I see it clearly, that the end justifies the means—what good + could I accomplish? You saw what happened this afternoon—the man + would have driven me out if, it hadn't been for you. This whole conception + of charity is a crime against civilization—I had to have that + pointed out to me, too,—this system of legalized or semi-legalized + robbery and the distribution of largesse to the victims. The Church is + doing wrong, is stultifying herself in encouraging it. She should set her + face rigidly against it, stand for morality and justice and Christianity + in government, not for pauperizing. It is her mission to enlighten these + people, all people—to make them self-respecting, to give them some + notion of the dignity of their souls and their rights before God and man.” + </p> + <p> + “Aren't you yourself suggesting,” said Mr. Bentley, “the course which will + permit you to remain?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was silent. The thought struck him with tremendous force. Had he + suggested it? And how—why? Could it be done? Could he do it or begin + it? + </p> + <p> + “We have met at last in a singular way,” he heard Mr. Bentley going on, + “in a way that has brushed aside the conventions, in a way—I am + happy to say—that has enabled you to give me your confidence. And I + am an old man,—that has made it easier. I saw this afternoon, Mr. + Hodder, that you were troubled, although you tried to hide it.” + </p> + <p> + “I knew that you saw it,” Hodder said. + </p> + <p> + “Nor was it difficult for me to guess something of the cause of it. The + same thing has troubled me.” + </p> + <p> + “You?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” Mr. Bentley answered. “I left St. John's, but the habits and + affections of a lifetime are not easily severed. And some time before I + left it I began to have visions of a future for it. There was a question, + many years ago, as to whether a new St. John's should not be built in the + West End, on a site convenient to the parishioners, and this removal I + opposed. Mr. Waring stood by me. We foresaw the day when this district + would be—what it is now—the precarious refuge of the + unfortunate in the battle of life, of just such unhappy families as the + Garvins, of miserable women who sell themselves to keep alive. I thought + of St. John's, as you did, as an oasis in a desert of misery and vice. At + that time I, too, believed in the system of charities which you have so + well characterized as pauperizing.” + </p> + <p> + “And now?” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley smiled, as at a reminiscence. + </p> + <p> + “My eyes were opened,” he replied, and in these simple words summed up and + condemned it all. “They are craving bread, and we fling them atones. I + came here. It was a house I owned, which I saved from the wrecks, and as I + look back upon what the world would call a misfortune, sir, I can see that + it was a propitious event, for me. The street 'ran down,' as the saying + goes. I grew gradually to know these people, my new neighbours, largely + through their children, and I perceived many things I had not dreamed of—before + then. I saw how the Church was hampered, fettered; I saw why they disliked + and distrusted it.” + </p> + <p> + “And yet you still believed that it had a mission?” Hodder interrupted. He + had been listening with rapt attention. + </p> + <p> + “I still believed it,” said Mr. Bentley. “My conception of that mission + changed, grew, and yet it seemed further and further from fulfilment. And + then you came to St. John's.” + </p> + <p> + “I!” The cry was involuntary. + </p> + <p> + “You,” Mr. Bentley repeated. “Sometimes,” he added whimsically, “I go + there, as I have told you. I saw you, I heard you preach. I talked to my + friend Waring about you. I saw that your eyes were not opened, but I think + I had a certain presentiment, for which I do not pretend to account, that + they would be opened.” + </p> + <p> + “You mean,” said the rector, “that if I believe in the mission of the + Church as I have partially stated it here tonight, I—should stay and + fight for it.” + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” Mr. Bentley replied. + </p> + <p> + There was a note of enthusiasm, almost of militancy in the old gentleman's + tone that surprised and agitated Hodder. He took a turn up and down the + room before he answered. + </p> + <p> + “I ought to tell you that the view I expressed a moment ago is new to me. + I had not thought of it before, and it is absolutely at variance with any + previous ideas I have held. I can see that it must involve, if carried to + its logical conclusion, a change in the conception of Christianity I have + hitherto held.” + </p> + <p> + He was too intent upon following up the thought to notice Mr. Bentley's + expression of assent. + </p> + <p> + “And suppose,” he asked, “I were unable to come to any conclusion? I will + be frank, Mr. Bentley, and confess to you that at present I cannot see my + way. You have heard me preach—you know what my beliefs have been. + They are shattered. And, while I feel that there is some definite + connection between the view of the Church which I mentioned and her + message to the individual, I do not perceive it clearly. I am not prepared + at present to be the advocate of Christianity, because I do not know what + Christianity is. I thought I knew. + </p> + <p> + “I shall have to begin all over again, as though I had never taken orders, + submit to a thorough test, examine the evidence impartially. It is the + only way. Of this much I am sure, that the Church as a whole has been + engaged in a senseless conflict with science and progressive thought, that + she has insisted upon the acceptance of facts which are in violation of + reason and which have nothing to do with religion. She has taught them to + me—made them, in fact, a part of me. I have clung to them as long as + I can, and in throwing them over I don't know where I shall land.” + </p> + <p> + His voice was measured, his words chosen, yet they expressed a withering + indignation and contempt which were plainly the culmination of months of + bewilderment—now replaced by a clear-cut determination. + </p> + <p> + “I do not blame any individual,” he continued, “but the system by which + clergymen are educated. + </p> + <p> + “I intend to stay here, now, without conducting any services, and find out + for myself what the conditions are here in Dalton Street. You know those + people, Mr. Bentley, you understand them, and I am going to ask you to + help me. You have evidently solved the problem.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley rose. And he laid a hand, which was not quite steady, on the + rector's shoulder. + </p> + <p> + “Believe me, sir,” he replied, “I appreciate something of what such a + course must mean to you—a clergyman.” He paused, and a look came + upon his face, a look that might scarce have been called a smile—Hodder + remembered it as a glow—reminiscent of many things. In it a life was + summed ups in it understanding, beneficence, charity, sympathy, were all + expressed, yet seemingly blended into one. “I do not know what my + testimony may be worth to you, my friend, but I give it freely. I + sometimes think I have been peculiarly fortunate. But I have lived a great + many years, and the older I get and the more I see of human nature the + firmer has grown my conviction of its essential nobility and goodness.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder marvelled, and was silent. + </p> + <p> + “You will come here, often,—every day if you can. There are many men + and women, friends of mine, whom I should like you to know, who would like + to know you.” + </p> + <p> + “I will, and thank you,” Hodder answered. Words were inadequate for the + occasion.... + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII. THE WOMAN OF THE SONG + </h2> + <p> + On leaving Mr. Bentley, Hodder went slowly down Dalton Street, wondering + that mere contact with another human being should have given him the + resolution to turn his face once again toward the house whither he was + bound. And this man had given him something more. It might hardly have + been called faith; a new courage to fare forth across the Unknown—that + was it; hope, faint but revived. + </p> + <p> + Presently he stopped on the sidewalk, looked around him, and read a sign + in glaring, electric letters, Hotel Albert. Despite the heat, the place + was ablaze with lights. Men and women were passing, pausing—going + in. A motor, with a liveried chauffeur whom he remembered having seen + before, was standing in front of the Rathskeller. The nightly carousal was + beginning. + </p> + <p> + Hodder retraced his steps, crossed the street diagonally, came to the + dilapidated gate he remembered so well, and looked up through the dusk at + the house. If death had entered it, there was no sign: death must be a + frequent visitor hereabouts. On the doorsteps he saw figures outlined, + slatternly women and men in shirt-sleeves who rose in silence to make way + for him, staring at him curiously. He plunged into the hot darkness of the + hall, groped his way up the stairs and through the passage, and hesitated. + A single gas jet burned low in the stagnant air, and after a moment he + made out, by its dim light, a woman on her knees beside the couch, + mechanically moving the tattered palm-leaf over the motionless little + figure. The child was still alive. He drew a deep breath, and entered; at + the sound of his step Mrs. Garvin suddenly started up. + </p> + <p> + “Richard!” she cried, and then stood staring at the rector. “Have you seen + my husband, sir? He went away soon after you left.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder, taken by surprise, replied that he had not. Her tone, her gesture + of anxiety he found vaguely disquieting. + </p> + <p> + “The doctor has been here?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she answered absently. “I don't know where he can be—Richard. + He didn't even wait to see the doctor. And he thinks so much of Dicky, + sir, he sits here of an evening—” + </p> + <p> + Hodder sat down beside her, and taking the palm-leaf from her hand, began + himself to fan the child. Something of her misgiving had communicated + itself to him. + </p> + <p> + “Don't worry,” he said. “Remember that you have been through a great deal, + and it is natural that you should be overwrought. Your husband feels + strongly. I don't blame him. And the sight of me this afternoon upset him. + He has gone out to walk.” + </p> + <p> + “Richard is proud,” she answered simply. “He used to say he'd rather die + than take charity—and now he's come to it. And it's—that man, + sir, who's got on his brain, and changed him. He wasn't always like this, + but now he can't seem to think of anything else. He wakes up in the night + .... And he used to have such a sweet nature—you wouldn't have known + him... and came home so happy in the evenings in Alder Street, often with + a little fruit, or something he'd bought for us, and romp with Dicky in + the yard, and I'd stand and laugh at them. Even after we'd lost our money, + when he was sick that time, he didn't feel this way. It grew on him when + he couldn't get work, and then he began to cut things out of the papers + about Mr. Parr. And I have sometimes thought that that's kept him from + getting work. He talks about it, and people don't know what to make of + him. They don't know how hard he'd try if they'd give him something.”.... + </p> + <p> + “We shall find something,” said the rector, striving to throw into his + voice confidence and calm. He did not dare to look at her, but continued + to move the fan. + </p> + <p> + The child stirred a little. Mrs. Garvin put out her hand. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, the doctor was here. He was very kind. Oh, sir,” she exclaimed, “I + hope you won't think us ungrateful—and that Mr. Bentley won't. Dr. + Jarvis has hopes, sir,—he says—I forget the name he called it, + what Dicky has. It's something uncommon. He says it was—brought on + by the heat, and want of food—good food. And he's coming himself in + the morning to take him out to that hospital beyond the park—in an + automobile, sir. I was just thinking what a pity it is Dicky wouldn't + realize it. He's always wanted to ride in one.” Suddenly her tears flowed, + unheeded, and she clung to the little hand convulsively. “I don't know + what I shall do without him, Sir, I don't.... I've always had him... and + when he's sick, among strangers.”... + </p> + <p> + The rector rose to the occasion. + </p> + <p> + “Now, Mrs. Garvin,” he said firmly, “you must remember that there is only + one way to save the boy's life. It will be easy to get you a room near the + hospital, where you can see him constantly.” + </p> + <p> + “I know—I know, sir. But I couldn't leave his father, I couldn't + leave Richard.” She looked around distractedly. “Where is he?” + </p> + <p> + “He will come back presently,” said the rector. “If not, I will look for + him.” + </p> + <p> + She did not reply, but continued to weep in silence. Suddenly, above the + confused noises of the night, the loud notes of a piano broke, and the + woman whose voice he had heard in the afternoon began once more with + appalling vigour to sing. The child moaned. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Garvin started up hysterically. + </p> + <p> + “I can't stand it—I can't stand her singing that now,” she sobbed. + </p> + <p> + Thirty feet away, across the yard, Hodder saw the gleaming window from + which the music came. He got to his feet. Another verse began, with more + of the brazen emphasis of the concert-hall singer than ever. He glanced at + the woman beside him, irresolutely. + </p> + <p> + “I'll speak to her,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Garvin did not appear to hear him, but flung herself down beside the + lounge. As he seized his hat and left the room he had the idea of + telephoning for a nurse, when he almost ran into some one in the upper + hall, and recognized the stout German woman, Mrs. Breitmann. + </p> + <p> + “Mrs. Garvin”—he said, “she ought not to be left—” + </p> + <p> + “I am just now going,” said Mrs. Breitmann. “I stay with her until her + husband come.” + </p> + <p> + Such was the confidence with which, for some reason, she inspired him, + that he left with an easier mind. + </p> + <p> + It was not until the rector had arrived at the vestibule of the apartment + house next door that something—of the difficulty and delicacy of the + errand he had undertaken came home to him. Impulse had brought him thus + far, but now he stood staring helplessly at a row of bells, speaking + tubes, and cards. Which, for example, belonged to the lady whose soprano + voice pervaded the neighbourhood? He looked up and down the street, in the + vain hope of finding a messenger. The song continued: he had promised to + stop it. Hodder accused himself of cowardice. + </p> + <p> + To his horror, Hodder felt stealing over him, incredible though it seemed + after the depths through which he had passed, a faint sense of fascination + in the adventure. It was this that appalled him—this tenacity of the + flesh,—which no terrors seemed adequate to drive out. The sensation, + faint as it was, unmanned him. There were still many unexplored corners in + his soul. + </p> + <p> + He turned, once more contemplated the bells, and it was not until then he + noticed that the door was ajar. He pushed it open, climbed the staircase, + and stood in the doorway of what might be called a sitting room, his eyes + fixed on a swaying back before an upright piano against the wall; his + heart seemed to throb with the boisterous beat of the music. The woman's + hair, in two long and heavy plaits falling below her waist, suddenly + fascinated him. It was of the rarest of russet reds. She came abruptly to + the end of the song. + </p> + <p> + “I beg your pardon—” he began. + </p> + <p> + She swung about with a start, her music dropping to the floor, and stared + at him. Her tattered blue kimono fell away at her elbows, her full throat + was bare, and a slipper she had kicked off lay on the floor beside her. He + recoiled a little, breathing deeply. She stared at him. + </p> + <p> + “My God, how you scared me!” she exclaimed. Evidently a second glance + brought to her a realization of his clerical costume. “Say, how did you + get in here?” + </p> + <p> + “I beg your pardon,” he said again, “but there is a very sick child in the + house next door and I came to ask you if you would mind not playing any + more to-night.” + </p> + <p> + She did not reply at once, and her expression he found unsolvable. Much of + it might be traced to a life which had contracted the habit of taking + nothing on trust, a life which betrayed itself in unmistakable traces + about the eyes. And Hodder perceived that the face, if the stamp of this + expression could have been removed, was not unpleasing, although + indulgence and recklessness were beginning to remould it. + </p> + <p> + “Quit stringin' me,” she said. + </p> + <p> + For a moment he was at a loss. He gathered that she did not believe him, + and crossed to the open window. + </p> + <p> + “If you will come here,” he said, “I will show you the room where he lies. + We hope to be able to take him to the hospital to-morrow.” He paused a + moment, and added: “He enjoyed your music very much when he was better.” + </p> + <p> + The comment proved a touchstone. + </p> + <p> + “Say,” she remarked, with a smile that revealed a set of surprisingly good + teeth, “I can make the box talk when I get a-goin'. There's no stopping me + this side of grand opera,—that's no fable. I'm not so bad for an + enginoo, am I?” + </p> + <p> + Thus directly appealed to, in common courtesy he assented. + </p> + <p> + “No indeed,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “That's right,” she declared. “But the managers won't have it at any + price. Those jays don't know anything, do they? They've only got a dream + of what the public wants. You wouldn't believe it, but I've sung for 'em, + and they threw me out. You wouldn't believe it, would you?” + </p> + <p> + “I must own,” said the rector, “that I have never had any experience with + managers.” + </p> + <p> + She sat still considering him from the piano stool, her knees apart, her + hands folded in her lap. Mockery came into her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Say, what did you come in here for, honest injun?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + He was aware of trying to speak sternly, and of failing. To save his life + he could not, then, bring up before himself the scene in the little back + room across the yard in its full terror and reality, reproduce his own + feelings of only a few minutes ago which had impelled him hither. A month, + a year might have elapsed. Every faculty was now centred on the woman in + front of him, and on her life. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you doubt me?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + She continued to contemplate him. Her eyes were strange, baffling, + smouldering, yellow-brown, shifting, yet not shifty: eyes with a history. + Her laugh proclaimed both effrontery and uneasiness. + </p> + <p> + “Don't get huffy,” she said. “The kid's sick—that's on the level, is + it? You didn't come 'round to see me?” The insinuation was in her voice as + well as in her words. He did not resent it, but felt an odd thrill of + commingled pity and—fear. + </p> + <p> + “I came for the reason I have given you,” he replied; and added, more + gently: “I know it is a good deal to ask, but you will be doing a great + kindness. The mother is distracted. The child, as I told you, will be + taken to the hospital in the morning.” + </p> + <p> + She reached out a hand and closed the piano softly. + </p> + <p> + “I guess I can hold off for to-night,” she said. “Sometimes things get + kind of dull—you know, when there's nothing doing, and this keeps me + lively. How old is the kid?” + </p> + <p> + “About nine,” he estimated. + </p> + <p> + “Say, I'm sorry.” She spoke with a genuineness of feeling that surprised + him. He went slowly, almost apologetically toward the door. + </p> + <p> + “Good night,” he said, “and thank you.” + </p> + <p> + Her look halted him. + </p> + <p> + “What's your hurry?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + “I'm sorry,” he said hastily, “but I must be going.” He was, in truth, in + a panic to leave. + </p> + <p> + “You're a minister, ain't you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I guess you don't think much of me, do you?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + He halted abruptly, struck by the challenge, and he saw that this woman + had spoken not for herself, but for an entire outlawed and desperate + class. The fact that the words were mocking and brazen made no difference; + it would have been odd had they not been so. With a shock of surprise he + suddenly remembered that his inability to reach this class had been one of + the causes of his despair! And now? With the realization, reaction set in, + an overpowering feeling of weariness, a desire—for rest—for + sleep. The electric light beside the piano danced before his eyes, yet he + heard within him a voice crying out to him to stay. Desperately tired + though he was, he must not leave now. He walked slowly to the table, put + his hat on it and sat down in a chair beside it. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you say that?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, cut it out!” said the woman. “I'm on to you church folks.” She + laughed. “One of 'em came in here once, and wanted to pray. I made a + monkey of him.” + </p> + <p> + “I hope,” said the rector, smiling a little, “that is not the reason why + you wish me to stay.” + </p> + <p> + She regarded him doubtfully. + </p> + <p> + “You're not the same sort,” she announced at length. + </p> + <p> + “What sort was he?” + </p> + <p> + “He was easy,—old enough to know better—most of the easy ones + are. He marched in sanctimonious as you please, with his mouth full of + salvation and Bible verses.” She laughed again at the recollection. + </p> + <p> + “And after that,” said the rector, “you felt that ministers were a lot of + hypocrites.” + </p> + <p> + “I never had much opinion of 'em,” she admitted, “nor of church people, + either,” she added, with emphasis. + </p> + <p> + “There's Ferguson, who has the department store,—he's 'way up' in + church circles. I saw him a couple of months ago, one Sunday morning, + driving to that church on Burton Street, where all the rich folks go. I + forget the name—” + </p> + <p> + “St. John's,” he supplied. He had got beyond surprise. + </p> + <p> + “St. John's—that's it. They tell me he gives a lot of money to it—money + that he steals from the girls he hires. Oh, yes, he'll get to heaven—I + don't think.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean that he steals money from the girls?” + </p> + <p> + “Say, you are innocent—ain't you! Did you ever go down to that + store? Do you know what a floorwalker is? Did you ever see the cheap guys + hanging around, and the young swells waiting to get a chance at the girls + behind the counters? Why do you suppose so many of 'em take to the easy + life? I'll put you next—because Ferguson don't pay 'em enough to + live on. That's why. He makes 'em sign a paper, when he hires 'em, that + they live at home, that they've got some place to eat and sleep, and they + sign it all right. That's to square up Ferguson's conscience. But say, if + you think a girl can support herself in this city and dress on what he + pays, you've got another guess comin'.” + </p> + <p> + There rose up before him, unsummoned, the image of Nan Ferguson, in all + her freshness and innocence, as she had stood beside him on the porch in + Park Street. He was somewhat astonished to find himself defending his + parishioner. + </p> + <p> + “May it not be true, in order to compete with other department stores, + that Mr. Ferguson has to pay the same wages?” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Forget it. I guess you know what Galt House is? That's where women like + me can go when we get all played out and there's nothing left in the game—it's + on River Street. Maybe you've been there.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder nodded. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” she continued, “Ferguson pays a lot of money to keep that going, + and gets his name in the papers. He hands over to the hospitals where some + of us die—and it's all advertised. He forks out to the church. Now, + I put it to you, why don't he sink some of that money where it belongs—in + living wages? Because there's nothing in it for him—that's why.” + </p> + <p> + The rector looked at her in silence. He had not suspected her of so much + intellect. He glanced about the apartment, at the cheap portiere flung + over the sofa; at the gaudy sofa cushions, two of which bore the names and + colours of certain colleges. The gas log was almost hidden by dried palm + leaves, a cigarette stump lay on the fender; on the mantel above were + several photographs of men and at the other side an open door revealed a + bedroom. + </p> + <p> + “This is a nice place, ain't it?” she observed. “I furnished it when I was + on velvet—nothing was too good for me. Money's like champagne when + you take the cork out, it won't keep. I was rich once. It was lively while + it lasted,” she added, with a sigh: “I've struck the down trail. I + oughtn't, by rights, to be here fooling with you. There's nothing in it.” + She glanced at the clock. “I ought to get busy.” + </p> + <p> + As the realization of her meaning came to him, he quivered. + </p> + <p> + “Is there no way but that?” he asked, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “Say, you're not a-goin' to preach, are you?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” he answered, “God forbid! I was not asking the question of you.” + </p> + <p> + She stared at him. + </p> + <p> + “Of who, then?” + </p> + <p> + He was silent. + </p> + <p> + “You've left me at the station. But on the level, you don't seem to know + much, that's a fact. You don't think the man who owns these flats is in it + for charity, do you? 'Single ladies,' like me, have to give up. And then + there are other little grafts that wouldn't interest you. What church do + you come from anyway?” + </p> + <p> + “You mentioned it a little while ago.” + </p> + <p> + “St. John's!” She leaned back against the piano and laughed + unrestrainedly. “That's a good one, to think how straight I've been + talking to you.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm much obliged to you,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Again she gazed at him, now plainly perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “What are you giving me?” + </p> + <p> + “I mean what I say,” he answered. “I am obliged to you for telling me + things I didn't know. And I appreciate—your asking me to stay.” + </p> + <p> + She was sitting upright now, her expression changed, her breath came more + rapidly, her lips parted as she gazed at him. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know,” she said, “I haven't had anybody speak to me like that for + four years.” Her voice betrayed excitement, and differed in tone, and she + had cast off unconsciously the vulgarity of speech. At that moment she + seemed reminiscent of what she must once have been; and he found himself + going through an effort at reconstruction. + </p> + <p> + “Like what?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Like a woman,” she answered vehemently. + </p> + <p> + “My name is John Hodder,” he said, “and I live in the parish house, next + door to the church. I should like to be your friend, if you will let me. + If I can be of any help to you now, or at any other time, I shall feel + happy. I promise not to preach,” he added. + </p> + <p> + She got up abruptly, and went to the window. And when she turned to him + again, it was with something of the old bravado. + </p> + <p> + “You'd better leave me alone, I'm no good;” she said. “I'm much obliged to + you, but I don't want any charity or probation houses in mine. And honest + work's a thing of the past for me—even if I could get a job. Nobody + would have me. But if they would, I couldn't work any more. I've got out + of the hang of it.” With a swift and decisive movement she crossed the + room, opened a cabinet on the wall, revealing a bottle and glasses. + </p> + <p> + “So you're bent upon going—downhill?” he said. + </p> + <p> + “What can you do to stop it?” she retorted defiantly, “Give me religion—-I + guess you'd tell me. Religion's all right for those on top, but say, it + would be a joke if I got it. There ain't any danger. But if I did, it + wouldn't pay room-rent and board.” + </p> + <p> + He sat mute. Once more the truth overwhelmed, the folly of his former + optimism arose to mock him. What he beheld now, in its true aspect, was a + disease of that civilization he had championed... + </p> + <p> + She took the bottle from the cupboard and laid it on the table. + </p> + <p> + “What's the difference?” she demanded. “It's all over in a little while, + anyway. I guess you'd tell me there was a hell. But if that's so, some of + your church folks'll broil, too. I'll take my chance on it, if they will.” + She looked at him, half in defiance, half in friendliness, across the + table. “Say, you mean all right, but you're only wastin' time here. You + can't do me any good, I tell you, and I've got to get busy.” + </p> + <p> + “May we not at least remain friends?” he asked, after a moment. + </p> + <p> + Her laugh was a little harsh. + </p> + <p> + “What kind of friendship would that be? You, a minister, and me a woman on + the town?” + </p> + <p> + “If I can stand it, I should think you might.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I can't stand it,” she answered. + </p> + <p> + He got up, and held out his hand. She stood seemingly irresolute, and then + took it. + </p> + <p> + “Good night,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Good night,” she repeated nonchalantly. + </p> + <p> + As he went out of the door she called after him: + </p> + <p> + “Don't be afraid I'll worry the kid!” + </p> + <p> + The stale odour of cigarette smoke with which the dim corridor was charged + intoxicated, threatened to overpower him. It seemed to be the reek of evil + itself. A closing door had a sinister meaning. He hurried; obscurity + reigned below, the light in the lower hall being out; fumbled for the + door-knob, and once in the street took a deep breath and mopped his brow; + but he had not proceeded half a block before he hesitated, retraced his + steps, reentered the vestibule, and stooped to peer at the cards under the + speaking tubes. Cheaply printed in large script, was the name of the + tenant of the second floor rear,—MISS KATE MARCY.... + </p> + <p> + In crossing Tower Street he was frightened by the sharp clanging of a + great electric car that roared past him, aflame with light. His brain had + seemingly ceased to work, and he stumbled at the curb, for he was very + tired. The events of the day no longer differentiated themselves in his + mind but lay, a composite weight, upon his heart. At length he reached the + silent parish house, climbed the stairs and searched in his pocket for the + key of his rooms. The lock yielded, but while feeling for the switch he + tripped and almost fell over an obstruction on the floor. + </p> + <p> + The flooding light revealed his travelling-bags, as he had piled them, + packed and ready to go to the station. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0017" id="link2H_4_0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 4. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII. WINTERBOURNE + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Hodder fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, awaking during the night at + occasional intervals to recall chimerical dreams in which the events of + the day before were reflected, but caricatured and distorted. Alison Parr + was talking to the woman in the flat, and both were changed, and yet he + identified both: and on another occasion he saw a familiar figure + surrounded by romping, ragged children—a figure which turned out to + be Eldon Parr's! + </p> + <p> + Finally he was aroused by what seemed a summons from the unknown—the + prolonged morning whistle of the shoe factory. For a while he lay as one + benumbed, and the gradual realization that ensued might be likened to the + straining of stiffened wounds. Little by little he reconstructed, until + the process became unbearable, and then rose from his bed with one object + in mind,—to go to Horace Bentley. At first—he seized upon the + excuse that Mr. Bentley would wish to hear the verdict of Dr. Jarvis, but + immediately abandoned it as dishonest, acknowledging the true reason, that + in all the—world the presence of this one man alone might assuage in + some degree the terror in his soul. For the first time in his life, since + childhood, he knew a sense of utter dependence upon another human being. + He felt no shame, would make no explanation for his early visit. + </p> + <p> + He turned up Tower, deliberately avoiding Dalton Street in its lower part, + reached Mr. Bentley's door. The wrinkled, hospitable old darky actually + seemed to radiate something of the personality with which he had so long + been associated, and Hodder was conscious of a surge of relief, a return + of confidence at sight of him. Yes, Mr. Bentley was at home, in the dining + room. The rector said he would wait, and not disturb him. + </p> + <p> + “He done tole me to bring you out, sah, if you come,” said Sam. + </p> + <p> + “He expects me?” exclaimed Hodder, with a shock of surprise. + </p> + <p> + “That's what he done tole me, sah, to ax you kindly for to step out when + you come.” + </p> + <p> + The sun was beginning to penetrate into the little back yard, where the + flowers were still glistening with the drops of their morning bath; and + Mr. Bentley sat by the window reading his newspaper, his spectacles on his + nose, and a great grey cat rubbing herself against his legs. He rose with + alacrity. + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, sir,” he said, and his welcome implied that early morning + visits were the most common and natural of occurrences. “Sam, a plate for + Mr. Hodder. I was just hoping you would come and tell me what Dr. Jarvis + had said about the case.” + </p> + <p> + But Hodder was not deceived. He believed that Mr. Bentley understood + perfectly why he had come, and the knowledge of the old gentleman's + comprehension curiously added to his sense of refuge. He found himself + seated once more at the mahogany table, permitting Sam to fill his cup + with coffee. + </p> + <p> + “Jarvis has given a favourable report, and he is coming this morning + himself, in an automobile, to take the boy out to the hospital.” + </p> + <p> + “That is like Jarvis,” was Mr. Bentley's comment. “We will go there, + together, after breakfast, if convenient for you,” he added. + </p> + <p> + “I hoped you would,” replied the rector. “And I was going to ask you a + favour. I have a check, given me by a young lady to use at my discretion, + and it occurred to me that Garvin might be willing to accept some proposal + from you.” He thought of Nan Ferguson, and of the hope he lead expressed + of finding some one in Dalton Street. + </p> + <p> + “I have been considering the matter,” Mr. Bentley said. “I have a friend + who lives on the trolley line a little beyond the hospital, a widow. It is + like the country there, you know, and I think Mrs. Bledsoe could be + induced to take the Garvins. And then something can be arranged for him. I + will find an opportunity to speak to him this morning.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder sipped his coffee, and looked out at the morning-glories opening to + the sun. + </p> + <p> + “Mrs. Garvin was alone last night. He had gone out shortly after we left, + and had not waited for the doctor. She was greatly worried.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder found himself discussing these matters on which, an hour before, he + had feared to permit his mind to dwell. And presently, not without + feeling, but in a manner eliminating all account of his personal emotions, + he was relating that climactic episode of the woman at the piano. The old + gentleman listened intently, and in silence. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said, when the rector had finished, “that is my observation. + Most of them are driven to the life, and held in it, of course, by a + remorseless civilization. Individuals may be culpable, Mr. Hodder—are + culpable. But we cannot put the whole responsibility on individuals.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” Hodder assented, “I can see that now.” He paused a moment, and as + his mind dwelt upon the scene and he saw again the woman standing before + him in bravado, the whole terrible meaning of her life and end flashed + through him as one poignant sensation. Her dauntless determination to + accept the consequence of her acts, her willingness to look her future in + the face, cried out to him in challenge. + </p> + <p> + “She refused unconditionally,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley seemed to read his thought, divine his appeal. + </p> + <p> + “We must wait,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “Do you think?—” Hodder began, and stopped abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “I remember another case, somewhat similar,” said Mr. Bentley. “This + woman, too, had the spirit you describe—we could do nothing with + her. We kept an eye on her—or rather Sally Grover did—she + deserves credit—and finally an occasion presented itself.” + </p> + <p> + “And the woman you speak of was—rehabilitated?” Hodder asked. He + avoided the word “saved.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir. It was one of the fortunate cases. There are others which are + not so fortunate.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder nodded. + </p> + <p> + “We are beginning to recognize that we are dealing, in, many instances, + with a disease,” Mr. Bentley went on. “I am far from saying that it cannot + be cured, but sometimes we are forced to admit that the cure is not within + our power, Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + Two thoughts struck the rector simultaneously, the revelation of what + might be called a modern enlightenment in one of Mr. Bentley's age, an + indication of uninterrupted growth, of the sense of continued youth which + had impressed him from the beginning; and, secondly, an intimation from + the use of the plural pronoun we, of an association of workers (informal, + undoubtedly) behind Mr. Bentley. While he was engaged in these + speculations the door opened. + </p> + <p> + “Heah's Miss Sally, Marse Ho'ace,” said Sam. + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, Sally,” said Mr. Bentley, rising from the table with his + customary courtesy, “I'm glad you came in. Let me introduce Mr. Hodder, of + St. John's.” + </p> + <p> + Miss Grover had capability written all over her. She was a young woman of + thirty, slim to spareness, simply dressed in a shirtwaist and a dark blue + skirt; alert, so distinctly American in type as to give a suggestion of + the Indian. Her quick, deep-set eyes searched Hodder's face as she jerked + his hand; but her greeting was cordial, and, matter-of-fact. She + stimulated curiosity. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Sally, what's the news?” Mr. Bentley asked. + </p> + <p> + “Gratz, the cabinet-maker, was on the rampage again, Mr. Bentley. His wife + was here yesterday when I got home from work, and I went over with her. He + was in a beastly state, and all the niggers and children in the + neighbourhood, including his own, around the shop. Fusel oil, labelled + whiskey,” she explained, succinctly. + </p> + <p> + “What did you do?” + </p> + <p> + “Took the bottle away from him,” said Miss Grower. The simplicity of this + method, Holder thought, was undeniable. “Stayed there until he came to. + Then I reckon I scared him some.” + </p> + <p> + “How?” Mr. Bentley smiled. + </p> + <p> + “I told him he'd have to see you. He'd rather serve three months than do + that—said so. I reckon he would, too,” she declared grimly. “He's + better than he was last year, I think.” She thrust her hand in the pocket + of her skirt and produced some bills and silver, which she counted. + “Here's three thirty-five from Sue Brady. I told her she hadn't any + business bothering you, but she swears she'd spend it.” + </p> + <p> + “That was wrong, Sally.” + </p> + <p> + Miss Grower tossed her head. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, she knew I'd take it, well enough.” + </p> + <p> + “I imagine she did,” Mr. Bentley replied, and his eyes twinkled. He rose + and led the way into the library, where he opened his desk, produced a + ledger, and wrote down the amount in a fine hand. + </p> + <p> + “Susan Brady, three dollars and thirty-five cents. I'll put it in the + savings bank to-day. That makes twenty-two dollars and forty cents for + Sue. She's growing rich.” + </p> + <p> + “Some man'll get it,” said Sally. + </p> + <p> + “Sally,” said Mr. Bentley, turning in his chair, “Mr. Holder's been + telling me about a rather unusual woman in that apartment house just above + Fourteenth Street, on the south side of Dalton.” + </p> + <p> + “I think I know her—by sight,” Sally corrected herself. She + appealed. to Holder. “Red hair, and lots of it—I suppose a man would + call it auburn. She must have been something of a beauty, once.” + </p> + <p> + The rector assented, in some astonishment. + </p> + <p> + “Couldn't do anything with her, could you? I reckoned not. I've noticed + her up and down Dalton Street at night.” + </p> + <p> + Holder was no longer deceived by her matter-of-fact tone. + </p> + <p> + “I'll tell you what, Mr. Holder,” she went on, energetically, “there's not + a particle of use running after those people, and the sooner you find it + out the less worry and trouble you give yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Holder didn't run after her, Sally,” said Mr. Bentley, in gentle + reproof. + </p> + <p> + Holder smiled. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Miss Grower, “I've had my eye on her. She has a history—most + of 'em have. But this one's out of the common. When they're brazen like + that, and have had good looks, you can nearly always tell. You've got to + wait for something to happen, and trust to luck to be on the spot, or near + it. It's a toss-up, of course. One thing is sure, you can't make friends + with that kind if they get a notion you're up to anything.” + </p> + <p> + “Sally, you must remember—” Mr. Bentley began. + </p> + <p> + Her tone became modified. Mr. Bentley was apparently the only human of + whom she stood in awe. + </p> + <p> + “All I meant was,” she said, addressing the rector, “that you've got to + run across 'em in some natural way.” + </p> + <p> + “I understood perfectly, and I agree with you,” Holder replied. “I have + come, quite recently, to the same conclusion myself.” + </p> + <p> + She gave him a penetrating glance, and he had to admit, inwardly, that a + certain satisfaction followed Miss Grower's approval. + </p> + <p> + “Mercy, I have to be going,” she exclaimed, glancing at the black marble + clock on the mantel. “We've got a lot of invoices to put through to-day. + See you again, Mr. Holder.” She jerked his hand once more. “Good morning, + Mr. Bentley.” + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, Sally.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley rose, and took his hat and gold-headed stick from the rack in + the hall. + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't mind Sally,” he said, when they had reached the sidewalk. + “Sometimes her brusque manner is not understood. But she is a very + extraordinary woman.” + </p> + <p> + “I can see that,” the rector assented quickly, and with a heartiness that + dispelled all doubt of his liking for Miss Grower. Once more many + questions rose to his lips, which he suppressed, since Mr. Bentley + volunteered no information. Hodder became, in fact, so lost in speculation + concerning Mr. Bentley's establishment as to forget the errand on which—they + were bound. And Sally Grower's words, apropos of the woman in the flat, + seemed but an energetic driving home of the severe lessons of his recent + experiences. And how blind he had been, he reflected, not to have seen the + thing for himself! Not to have realized the essential artificiality of his + former method of approach! And then it struck him that Sally Grower + herself must have had a history. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley, too, was preoccupied. + </p> + <p> + Presently, in the midst of these thoughts, Hodder's eyes were arrested by + a crowd barring the sidewalk on the block ahead; no unusual sight in that + neighbourhood, and yet one which aroused in him sensations of weakness and + nausea. Thus were the hidden vice and suffering of these sinister places + occasionally brought to light, exposed to the curious and morbid stares of + those whose own turn might come on the morrow. It was only by degrees he + comprehended that the people were gathered in front of the house to which + they were bound. An ambulance was seen to drive away: it turned into the + aide street in front of them. + </p> + <p> + “A city ambulance!” the rector exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley did not reply. + </p> + <p> + The murmuring group which overflowed the uneven brick pavement to the + asphalt was characteristic: women in calico, drudges, women in wrappers, + with sleepy, awestricken faces; idlers, men and boys who had run out of + the saloons, whose comments were more audible and caustic, and a fringe of + children ceaselessly moving on the outskirts. The crowd parted at their + approach, and they reached the gate, where a burly policeman, his helmet + in his hand, was standing in the morning sunlight mopping his face with a + red handkerchief. He greeted Mr. Bentley respectfully, by name, and made + way for them to pass in. + </p> + <p> + “What is the trouble, Ryan?” Mr. Bentley asked. + </p> + <p> + “Suicide, sir,” the policeman replied. “Jumped off the bridge this + morning. A tug picked him up, but he never came to—the strength + wasn't in him. Sure it's all wore out he was. There was a letter on him, + with the home number, so they knew where to fetch him. It's a sad case, + sir, with the woman in there, and the child gone to the hospital not an + hour ago.” + </p> + <p> + “You mean Garvin?” Mr. Bentley demanded. + </p> + <p> + “It's him I mean, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “We'd like to go in,” said Mr. Bentley. “We came to see them.” + </p> + <p> + “You're welcome, air, and the minister too. It's only them I'm holdin' + back,” and the policeman shook his stick at the people. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley walked up the steps, and took off his hat as he went through + the battered doorway. Hodder followed, with a sense of curious faces + staring at them from the thresholds as they passed; they reached the upper + passage, and the room, and paused: the shutters were closed, the little + couch where the child had been was empty. On the bed lay a form—covered + with a sheet, and beside it a woman kneeling, shaken by sobs, ceaselessly + calling a name.... + </p> + <p> + A stout figure, hitherto unperceived, rose from a corner and came silently + toward them—Mrs. Breitmann. She beckoned to them, and they followed + her into a room on the same floor, where she told them what she knew, + heedless of the tears coursing ceaselessly down her cheeks. + </p> + <p> + It seemed that Mrs. Garvin had had a premonition which she had not wholly + confided to the rector. She had believed her husband never would come + back; and early in the morning, in spite of all that Mrs. Breitmann could + do, had insisted at intervals upon running downstairs and scanning the + street. At half past seven Dr. Jarvis had come and himself carried down + the child and put him in the back of his automobile. The doctor had had a + nurse with him, and had begged the mother to accompany them to the + hospital, saying that he would send her back. But she would not be + persuaded to leave the house. The doctor could not wait, and had finally + gone off with little. Dicky, leaving a powder with Mrs. Breitmann for the + mother. Then she had become uncontrollable. + </p> + <p> + “Ach, it was terrible!” said the kind woman. “She was crazy, yes—she + was not in her mind. I make a little coffee, but she will not touch it. + All those things about her home she would talk of, and how good he was, + and how she loved him more again than the child. + </p> + <p> + “Und then the wheels in the street, and she makes a cry and runs to see—I + cannot hold her....” + </p> + <p> + “It would be well not to disturb her for a while,” said Mr. Bentley, + seating himself on one of the dilapidated chairs which formed apart of the + German woman's meagre furniture. “I will remain here if you, Mr. Hodder, + will make the necessary arrangements for the funeral. Have you any + objections, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” replied the rector, and left the house, the occupants of + which had already returned to the daily round of their lives: the rattle + of dishes and the noise of voices were heard in the 'ci devant' parlour, + and on the steps he met the little waif with the pitcher of beer; in the + street the boys who had gathered around the ambulance were playing + baseball. Hodder glanced up, involuntarily, at the window of the woman he + had visited the night before, but it was empty. He hurried along the + littered sidewalks to the drug store, where he telephoned an undertaker; + and then, as an afterthought, telephoned the hospital. The boy had + arrived, and was seemingly no worse for the journey. + </p> + <p> + All this Hodder performed mechanically. Not until he was returning—not, + indeed, until he entered the house did the whiff of its degrading, heated + odours bring home to him the tragedy which it held, and he grasped the + banister on the stairs. The thought that shook him now was of the + cumulative misery of the city, of the world, of which this history on + which he had stumbled was but one insignificant incident. But he went on + into Mrs. Breitmann's room, and saw Mr. Bentley still seated where he had + left him. The old gentleman looked up at him. + </p> + <p> + “Mrs. Breitmann and I are agreed, Mr. Hodder, that Mrs. Garvin ought not + to remain in there. What do you think?” + </p> + <p> + “By all means, no,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + The German woman burst into a soliloquy of sympathy that became + incoherent. + </p> + <p> + “She will not leave him,—nein—she will not come....” + </p> + <p> + They went, the three of them, to the doorway of the death chamber and + stood gazing at the huddled figure of the woman by the bedside. She had + ceased to cry out: she was as one grown numb under torture; occasionally a + convulsive shudder shook her. But when Mrs. Breitmann touched her, spoke + to her, her grief awoke again in all its violence, and it was more by + force than persuasion that she was finally removed. Mrs. Breitmann held + one arm, Mr. Bentley another, and between them they fairly carried her + out, for she was frail indeed. + </p> + <p> + As for Hodder, something held him back—some dread that he could not + at once define. And while he groped for it, he stood staring at the man on + the bed, for the hand of love had drawn back the sheet from the face. The + battle was over of this poor weakling against the world; the torments of + haunting fear and hate, of drink and despair had triumphed. The sight of + the little group of toys brought up the image of the home in Alder Street + as the wife had pictured it. Was it possible that this man, who had gone + alone to the bridge in the night, had once been happy, content with life, + grateful for it, possessed of a simple trust in his fellow-men—in + Eldon Parr? Once more, unsummoned, came the memory of that evening of rain + and thunder in the boy's room at the top of the great horse in Park + Street. He had pitied Eldon Parr then. Did he now? + </p> + <p> + He crossed the room, on tiptoe, as though he feared to wake once more this + poor wretch to his misery and hate, Gently he covered again the face with + the sheet. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly he knew the reason of his dread,—he had to face the woman! + He was a minister of Christ, it was his duty to speak to her, as he had + spoken to others in the hour of sorrow and death, of the justice and + goodness of the God to whom she had prayed in the church. What should he + say, now? In an agony of spirit, he sat down on the little couch beside + the window and buried his face in his hands. The sight of poor Garvin's + white and wasted features, the terrible contrast between this miserable + tenement and the palace with its unseen pictures and porcelains and + tapestries, brought home to him with indescribable poignancy his own + predicament. He was going to ask this woman to be comforted by faith and + trust in the God of the man who had driven her husband to death! He beheld + Eldon Parr in his pew complacently worshipping that God, who had rewarded + him with riches and success—beheld himself as another man in his + white surplice acquiescing in that God, preaching vainly.... + </p> + <p> + At last he got to his feet, went out of the room, reached the doorway of + that other room and looked in. Mr. Bentley sat there; and the woman, whose + tears had ceased to flow, was looking up into his face. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + “The office ensuing,” says the Book of Common Prayer, meaning the Burial + of the Dead, “is not to be used for any Unbaptized adult, any who die + excommunicate, or who have laid violent hands on themselves.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder had bought, with a part of Nan Ferguson's money, a tiny plot in a + remote corner of Winterbourne Cemetery. And thither, the next morning, the + body of Richard Garvin was taken. + </p> + <p> + A few mourners had stolen into the house and up the threadbare stairs into + the miserable little back room, somehow dignified as it had never been + before, and laid their gifts upon the coffin. An odd and pitiful + assortment they were—mourners and gifts: men and women whose only + bond with the man in life had been the bond of misery; who had seen him as + he had fared forth morning after morning in the hopeless search for work, + and slunk home night after night bitter and dejected; many of whom had + listened, jeeringly perhaps, to his grievance against the world, though it + were in some sort their own. Death, for them, had ennobled him. The little + girl whom Hodder had met with the pitcher of beer came tiptoeing with a + wilted bunch of pansies, picked heaven knows where; stolen, maybe, from + one of the gardens of the West End. Carnations, lilies of the valley, + geraniums even—such were the offerings scattered loosely on the lid + until a woman came with a mass of white roses that filled the room with + their fragrance,—a woman with burnished red hair. Hodder started as + he recognized her; her gaze was a strange mixture of effrontery and—something + else; sorrow did not quite express it. The very lavishness of her gift + brought to him irresistibly the reminder of another offering. .... She was + speaking. + </p> + <p> + “I don't blame him for what he done—I'd have done it, too, if I'd + been him. But say, I felt kind of bad when I heard it, knowing about the + kid, and all. I had to bring something—” + </p> + <p> + Instinctively Hodder surmised that she was in doubt as to the acceptance + of her flowers. He took them from her hand, and laid them at the foot of + the coffin. + </p> + <p> + “Thank you,” he said, simply. + </p> + <p> + She stared at him a moment with the perplexity she had shown at times on + the night he visited her, and went out... + </p> + <p> + Funerals, if they might be dignified by this name, were not infrequent + occurrences in Dalton Street, and why this one should have been looked + upon as of sufficient importance to collect a group of onlookers at the + gate it is difficult to say. Perhaps it was because of the seeming + interest in it of the higher powers—for suicide and consequent + widows and orphans were not unknown there. This widow and this orphan were + to be miraculously rescued, were to know Dalton Street no more. The rector + of a fashionable church, of all beings, was the agent in the miracle. Thus + the occasion was tinged with awe. As for Mr. Bentley, his was a familiar + figure, and had been remarked in Dalton Street funerals before. + </p> + <p> + They started, the three mourners, on the long drive to the cemetery, + through unfrequented streets lined with mediocre dwellings, interspersed + with groceries and saloons—short cuts known only to hearse drivers: + they traversed, for some distance, that very Wilderness road where Mr. + Bentley's old-fashioned mansion once had stood on its long green slope, + framed by ancient trees; the Wilderness road, now paved with hot blocks of + granite over which the carriage rattled; spread with car tracks, bordered + by heterogeneous buildings of all characters and descriptions, bakeries + and breweries, slaughter houses and markets, tumble-down shanties, weedy + corner lots and “refreshment-houses” that announced “Lager Beer, Wines and + Liquors.” At last they came to a region which was neither country nor + city, where the road-houses were still in evidence, where the glass roofs + of greenhouses caught the burning rays of the sun, where yards filled with + marble blocks and half-finished tombstones appeared, and then they turned + into the gates of Winterbourne. + </p> + <p> + Like the city itself, there was a fashionable district in Winterbourne: + unlike the city, this district remained stationary. There was no soot + here, and if there had been, the dead would not have minded it. They + passed the Prestons and the Parrs; the lots grew smaller, the tombstones + less pretentious; and finally they came to an open grave on a slope where + the trees were still young, and where three men of the cemetery force + lifted the coffin from the hearse—Richard Garvin's pallbearers. + </p> + <p> + John Hodder might not read the service, but there was none to tell him + that the Gospel of John was not written for this man. He stood an the + grass beside the grave, and a breeze from across the great river near by + stirred the maple leaves above his head. “I am the resurrection and the + life, saith the Lord; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet + shall he live.” Nor was there any canon to forbid the words of Paul: “It + is sown in corruption; it is raised in in corruption; it is sown in + dishonour; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in + power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” + </p> + <p> + They laid the flowers on the fresh earth, even the white roses, and then + they drove back to the city. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV. A SATURDAY AFTERNOON + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + The sight of a certain old gentleman as he walked along the shady side of + Twenty-second Street about two o'clock on a broiling Saturday afternoon in + midsummer was one not easily to be forgotten. A younger man, tall and + vigorous, clad in a thin suit of blue serge, walked by his side. They were + followed by a shouting troop of small boys who overran the pavements, and + some of whom were armed with baseball bats. The big trolley car was hailed + by a dozen dirty little hands. + </p> + <p> + Even the grumpy passengers were disarmed. The conductor took Mr. Bentley's + bill deprecatingly, as much as to say that the newly organized Traction + Company—just out of the receivers' hands—were the Moloch, not + he, and rang off the fares under protest. And Mr. Bentley, as had been his + custom for years, sat down and took off his hat, and smiled so benignly at + those around him that they immediately began to talk, to him. It was + always irresistible, this desire to talk to Mr. Bentley. If you had left + your office irritated and out of sorts, your nerves worn to an edge by the + uninterrupted heat, you invariably got off at your corner feeling better. + It was Phil Goodrich who had said that Horace Bentley had only to get on a + Tower Street car to turn it into a church. And if he had chosen to + establish that 'dernier cri' of modern civilization where ladies go who + have 'welt-schmerz' without knowing why,—a sanitarium, he might have + gained back again all the money he had lost in giving his Grantham stock + to Eldon Parr. + </p> + <p> + Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, he could have emptied Dalton Street of its + children. In the first place, there was the irresistible inducement to any + boy to ride several miles on a trolley without having this right + challenged by the irate guardian of the vehicle, without being summarily + requested to alight at twenty-five miles an hour: in the second place, + there was the soda water and sweet biscuit partaken of after the baseball + game in that pavilion, more imposing in one's eyes than the Taj Mahal. Mr. + Bentley would willingly have taken all Dalton Street. He had his own + 'welt-schmerz', though he did not go to a sanitarium to cure it; he was + forced to set an age limit of ten, and then establish a high court of + appeal; for there were boys whose biographies, if they are ever written, + will be as hazy as those of certain world-wide celebrities who might be + mentioned concerning the date and exact spot of the entrance of their + heroes into the light. The solemn protestations, the tears, the + recrimination even, brought pangs to the old gentleman's heart, for with + all the will in the world he had been forced in the nature of things, to + set a limit. + </p> + <p> + This limit had recently been increased by the unlooked-for appearance on + these excursions of the tall man in the blue serge suit, whose knowledge + of the national game and of other matters of vital import to youth was + gratifying if sometimes disconcerting; who towered, an unruffled Gulliver, + over their Lilliputian controversies, in which bats were waved and fists + brought into play and language used on the meaning of which the Century + dictionary is silent. On one former occasion, indeed, Mr. Bentley had + found moral suasion, affection, and veneration of no avail, and had had to + invoke the friendly aid of a park policeman to quell one of these + incipient riots. To Mr. Bentley baseball was as a sealed book. The tall + man's justice, not always worthy of the traditions of Solomon, had in it + an element of force. To be lifted off the ground by strong arms at the + moment you are about to dust the home plate with your adversary is + humiliating, but effective. It gradually became apparent that a decision + was a decision. And one Saturday this inexplicable person carried in his + hand a mysterious package which, when opened, revealed two pairs of + diminutive boxing gloves. They instantly became popular. + </p> + <p> + By the time they had made the accidental and somewhat astounding discovery + that he was a parson, they were willing to overlook it; in view, perhaps, + of his compensating accomplishments. Instead of advising them to turn the + other cheek, he taught them uppercuts, feints, and jabs, and on the proof + of this unexpected acquaintance with a profession all of them openly + admired, the last vestige of reserve disappeared. He was accepted without + qualifications. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Although the field to which they resorted was not in the most frequented + section of the park, pedestrians often passed that way, and sometimes + lingered. Thus, towards the close of a certain Saturday in July, a young + woman walked out of the wood path and stood awhile gazing intently at the + active figure striding among the diminutive, darting forms. Presently, + with an amused expression, she turned her head to discover Mr. Bentley, + who sat on a green bench under a tree, his hat and stick on the grass + beside him. She was unaware that he had been looking at her. + </p> + <p> + “Aren't they having a good time!” she said, and the genuine thrill in her + voice betrayed a rare and unmistakable pleasure. + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” replied Mr. Bentley, smiling back at her, “you like to see them, + too. Most persons do. Children are not meant for the city, my dear young + lady, their natural home is in the woods and fields, and these little + fellows are a proof of it. When they come out here, they run wild. You + perceive,” he added with a twinkle, as an expletive of unquestionable + vigour was hurled across the diamond, “they are not always so polite as + they might be.” + </p> + <p> + The young woman smiled again, but the look she gave him was a puzzled one. + And then, quite naturally, she sank, down on the grass, on the other side + of Mr. Bentley's hat, watching the game for a while in silence. + </p> + <p> + “What a tyrant!” she exclaimed. Another uproar had been quelled, and two + vigorously protesting runners sent back to their former bases. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, a benevolent tyrant,” Mr. Bentley corrected her. “Mr. Hodder has the + gift of managing boys,—he understands them. And they require a + strong hand. His generation has had the training which mine lacked. In my + day, at college, we worked off our surplus energy on the unfortunate + professors, and we carried away chapel bells and fought with the + townspeople.” + </p> + <p> + It required some effort, she found, to imagine this benevolent looking old + gentleman assaulting professors. + </p> + <p> + “Nowadays they play baseball and football, and box!” He pointed to the + boxing gloves on the grass. “Mr. Hodder has taught them to settle their + differences in that way; it is much more sensible.” + </p> + <p> + She picked off the white clover-tops. + </p> + <p> + “So that is Mr. Hodder, of St. John's,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, you know him, then?” + </p> + <p> + “I've met him,” she answered quietly. “Are these children connected with + his church?” + </p> + <p> + “They are little waifs from Dalton Street and that vicinity,” said Mr. + Bentley. “Very few of them, I should imagine, have ever been inside of a + church.” + </p> + <p> + She seemed surprised. + </p> + <p> + “But—is it his habit to bring them out here?” The old gentleman + beamed on her, perhaps with the hint of a smile at her curiosity. + </p> + <p> + “He has found time for it, this summer. It is very good of him.” + </p> + <p> + She refrained from comment on this remark, falling into reflection, + leaning back, with one hand outstretched, on the grass. The game went on + vociferously, the shrill lithe voices piercing the silence of the summer + afternoon. Mr. Bentley's eyes continued to rest on her. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me,” he inquired, after a while, “are you not Alison Parr?” + </p> + <p> + She glanced up at him, startled. “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “I thought so, although I have not seen you since you were a little girl. + I knew your mother very well indeed, but it is too much to expect you to + remember me, after all this time. No doubt you have forgotten my name. I + am Mr. Bentley.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Bentley!” she cried, sitting upright and gazing at him. “How stupid + of me not to have known you! You couldn't have been any one else.” + </p> + <p> + It was the old gentleman's turn to start. She rose impulsively and sat + down on the bench beside him, and his hand trembled as he laid it in hers. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my dear, I am still alive. But surely you cannot remember me, + Alison?” + </p> + <p> + The old look of almost stubborn honesty he recalled in the child came into + her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “I do—and I don't,” she said, perplexed. “It seemed to me as if I + ought to have recognized you when I came up, and yet I hadn't the + slightest notion who you were. I knew you were somebody.” + </p> + <p> + He shook his head, but did not speak. + </p> + <p> + “But you have always been a fact in my existence—that is what I want + to say,” she went on. “It must be possible to remember a person and not + recognize him, that is what I feel. I can remember you coming to our house + in Ransome Street, and how I looked forward to your visits. And you used + to have little candy beans in your pockets,” she cried. “Have you now?” + </p> + <p> + His eyes were a little dimmed as he reached, smilingly, into the skirts of + a somewhat shiny but scrupulously brushed coat and produced a brightly + colored handful. She took one, and put it in her mouth: + </p> + <p> + “Oh,” she said, “how good they were—Isn't it strange how a taste + brings back events? I can remember it all as if it were yesterday, and how + I used to sit on your knee, and mother would tell me not to bother you.” + </p> + <p> + “And now—you are grown,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Something more than grown,” she smiled. “I was thirty-one in May. Tell + me,” she asked, choosing another of the beans which he still absently + held, “do you get them for these?” And she nodded toward the Dalton Street + waifs. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said, “they are children, too.” + </p> + <p> + “I can remember,” she said, after a pause, “I can remember my mother + speaking of you to me the year she died. I was almost grown, then. It was + after we had moved up to Park Street, and her health had already begun to + fail. That made an impression on me, but I have forgotten what she said—it + was apropos of some recollection. No—it was a photograph—she + was going over some old things.” Alison ceased speaking abruptly, for the + pain in Mr. Bentley's remarkable grey eyes had not escaped her. What was + it about him? Why could she not recall? Long-forgotten, shadowy episodes + of the past tormented her, flitted provokingly through her mind—ungrasped: + words dropped in her presence which had made their impression, but the + gist of which was gone. Why had Mr. Bentley ceased coming to the house? So + strongly did she feel his presence now that the thought occurred to her,—perhaps + her mother had not wished her to forget him! + </p> + <p> + “I did not suspect,” she heard him saying, “that you would go out into the + world and create the beautiful gardens of which I have heard. But you had + no lack of spirit in those days, too.” + </p> + <p> + “I was a most disagreeable child, perverse,—cantankerous—I can + hear my mother saying it! As for the gardens—they have given me + something to do, they have kept me out of mischief. I suppose I ought to + be thankful, but I still have the rebellious streak when I see what others + have done, what others are doing, and I sometimes wonder what right I ever + had to think that I might create something worth while.” + </p> + <p> + He glanced at her quickly as she sat with bent head. + </p> + <p> + “Others put a higher value on what you have done.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, they don't know—” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + If something were revealed to him by her tone, he did not betray it, but + went on cheerfully. + </p> + <p> + “You have been away a long time, Alison. It must interest you to come + back, and see the changes in our Western civilization. We are moving very + rapidly—in certain directions,” he corrected himself. + </p> + <p> + She appraised his qualification. + </p> + <p> + “In certain directions,—yes. But they are little better in the East. + I have scarcely been back,” she added, “since I went to Paris to study. I + have often thought I should like to return and stay awhile, only—I + never seemed to get time. Now I am going over a garden for my father which + was one of my first efforts, and which has always reproached me.” + </p> + <p> + “And you do not mind the heat?” he asked. “Those who go East to live + return to find our summers oppressive.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I'm a salamander, I think,” Alison laughed. + </p> + <p> + Thus they sat chatting, interrupted once or twice by urchins too small to + join in the game, who came running to Mr. Bentley and stood staring at + Alison as at a being beyond the borders of experience: and she would smile + at them quite as shyly,—children being beyond her own. Her + imagination was as keen, as unspoiled as a child's, and was stimulated by + a sense of adventure, of the mystery which hung about this fine old + gentleman who betrayed such sentiment for a mother whom she had loved and + admired and still secretly mourned. Here, if there had been no other, was + a compelling bond of sympathy.... + </p> + <p> + The shadows grew longer, the game broke up. And Hodder, surrounded by an + argumentative group keeping pace with him, came toward them from the + field; Alison watched him curiously as he turned this way and that to + answer the insistent questions with which he was pelted, and once she saw + him stride rapidly after a dodging delinquent and seize him by the collar + amidst piercing yells of approval, and derision for the rebel. + </p> + <p> + “It's remarkable how he gets along with them,” said Mr. Bentley, smiling + at the scene. “Most of them have never known what discipline is.” + </p> + <p> + The chorus approached. And Hodder, recognizing her, dropped the collar he + held: A young woman conversing with Mr. Bentley—was no unusual + sight,—he had made no speculations as to this one's identity. He + left the boys, and drew near. + </p> + <p> + “You know Miss Parr, I believe,” the old gentleman said. + </p> + <p> + Hodder took her hand. He had often tried to imagine his feelings if he + should meet her again: what he should do and say,—what would be + their footing. And now he had no time to prepare.... + </p> + <p> + “It is so strange,” she said, with that note of wonder at life in her + voice which he recalled so well, “that I should have come across Mr. + Bentley here after so many years. How many years, Mr. Bentley?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, my dear,” he protested, “my measurements would not be yours.” + </p> + <p> + “It is better for both of us not to say, Alison declared, laughingly. + </p> + <p> + “You knew Mr. Bentley?” asked Hodder, astonished. + </p> + <p> + “He was a very dear friend of my mother's, although I used to appropriate + him when he came to our house. It was when we lived in Ransome Street, + ages ago. But I don't think Mr. Bentley has grown a bit older.” + </p> + <p> + “He is one of the few who have found the secret of youth,” said the + rector. + </p> + <p> + But the old gentleman had moved off into the path, or perhaps it would be + more accurate to say that he was carried off by the swarm which clustered + around him, two smaller ones tugging at his hand, and all intent upon + arriving at the soda-water pavilion near the entrance. They had followed + him with their eyes, and they saw him turn around and smile at them, + helplessly. Alison presented a perplexed face to Hodder. + </p> + <p> + “Does he bring them here,—or you?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “I—” he hesitated. “Mr. Bentley has done this every Saturday + afternoon for years,” he said, “I am merely one of them.” + </p> + <p> + She looked at him quickly. They had started to follow, in the cool path + beneath the forest trees. Restraint fell upon them, brought about by the + memory of the intimacy of their former meeting, further complicated on + Hodder's part by his new attitude toward her father, and his finding her + in the company, of all persons, of Mr. Bentley. Unuttered queries pressed + on the minds of both. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me about Mr. Bentley,” she said. + </p> + <p> + Hodder hesitated. + </p> + <p> + “I scarcely know where to begin,” he replied, yet smiling at the + characteristic abruptness of her question. The modulations of her voice + revealed again the searching, inquisitive spirit within her, and his + responded to the intensity of the interest in Mr. Bentley. + </p> + <p> + “Begin anywhere.” + </p> + <p> + “Anywhere?” he repeated, seeking to gain time. + </p> + <p> + “Yes—anywhere,” she said impatiently. + </p> + <p> + “Well, he lives in Dalton Street, if you recall what kind of a place that + is” (she nodded), “and he is known from one end of it to the other.” + </p> + <p> + “I see what he is—he is the most extraordinary person I have ever + known. Just to talk to him gives one such a queer feeling of—of + dissatisfaction with one's self, and seeing him once more seems to have + half revived in me a whole series of dead memories. And I have been trying + to think, but it is all so tantalizing. There is some mystery about him,” + she insisted. “He disappeared suddenly, and my mother never mentioned him + but once afterward, but other persons have spoken of him since—I + forget who. He was so well known, and he used to go to St. John's.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, he used to go to St. John's.” + </p> + <p> + “What happened to him—do you know? The reason he stopped coming to + our house was some misunderstanding with my father, of course. I am + positive my mother never changed her feelings toward him.” + </p> + <p> + “I can only tell you what he has told me, which is all I know—authoritatively,” + Hodder replied. How could he say to her that her father had ruined Mr. + Bentley? Indeed, with a woman of her fearlessness and honesty—and + above all, her intuition,—he felt the cruelty of his position + keenly. Hodder did not relish half truths; and he felt that, however scant + his intercourse in the future might be with Alison Parr, he would have + liked to have kept it on that basis of frankness in which it had begun. + But the exact stage of disillusionment she had reached in regard to Eldon + Parr was unknown to him, and he feared that a further revelation might + possibly sever the already precarious tie between father and daughter. + </p> + <p> + He recounted, therefore, that Mr. Bentley had failed; and how he had + before that given much of his estate away in charity, how he had been + unable to keep his pew in St. John's, and had retired to the house in + Dalton Street. + </p> + <p> + For some moments after he had finished Alison did not reply. + </p> + <p> + “What is his number in Dalton Street?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + Hodder informed her. + </p> + <p> + He could not read in her face whether she suspected that he could have + told her more. And in spite of an inordinate, human joy in being again in + her presence, his desire to hide from her that which had taken place + within him, and the inability he felt to read his future, were + instinctive: the more so because of the very spontaneity they had achieved + at their first meeting. As a man, he shrank from confessing to her, + however indirectly, the fact that she herself was so vital an element in + his disillusionment. For the conversation in the garden had been the + immediate cause of the inner ferment ending in his resolution to go away, + and had directed him, by logical steps, to the encounter in the church + with Mrs. Garvin. + </p> + <p> + “You have not yet finished the garden?” he asked. “I imagined you back in + the East by this time.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I am procrastinating,” she replied. “It is a fit of sheer laziness. I + ought to be elsewhere, but I was born without a conscience. If I had one I + should try to quiet it by reminding it that I am fulfilling a long-delayed + promise—I am making a garden for Mrs. Larrabbee. You know her, of + course, since she is a member of your congregation.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know her,” he assented. And his mind was suddenly filled with + vivid colour,—cobalt seas, and arsenic-green spruces with purple + cones, cardinal-striped awnings that rattled in the salt breeze, and he + saw once more the panorama of the life which had passed from him and the + woman in the midst of it. And his overwhelming thought was of relief that + he had somehow escaped. In spite of his unhappiness now, he would not have + gone back. He realized for the first time that he had been nearer + annihilation then than to-day. + </p> + <p> + “Grace isn't here to bother me with the ideas she has picked up in Europe + and catalogued,” Alison continued. + </p> + <p> + “Catalogued!” Hodder exclaimed, struck by the pertinency of the word. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. Did you ever know anybody who had succeeded half so well in piecing + together and absorbing into a harmonized whole all the divergent, + artificial elements that enter into the conventional world to-day? Her + character might be called a triumph of synthesis. For she has actually + achieved an individuality—that is what always surprises me when I + think of her. She has put the puzzle picture together, she has become a + person.” + </p> + <p> + He remembered, with a start, that this was the exact word Mrs. Larrabbee + had used about Alison Parr. If he had searched the world, he could not + have found a greater contrast than that between these two women. And when + she spoke again, he was to be further struck by her power of logical + insight. + </p> + <p> + “Grace wants me because she thinks I have become the fashion—for the + same reason that Charlotte Plimpton wants me. Only there is this + difference—Grace will know the exact value of what I shall have + done. Not that she thinks me a Le Notre”—Alison laughed—“What + I mean is, she sees behind, she sees why it is fashionable to have a + garden, since she has worked out the values of that existence. But there!” + Alison added, with a provocative touch that did not escape him, “I am + picking your parishioners to pieces again.” + </p> + <p> + “You have more right than I,” he replied, “they have been your friends + since childhood.” + </p> + <p> + “I thought you had gone away,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Why?” he demanded. Had she been to church again? + </p> + <p> + “My father told me before he left that you were to take a cruise with him + on the yacht he has chartered.” + </p> + <p> + “He wrote me from New York—I was unable to go,” Hodder said slowly. + </p> + <p> + He felt her gaze upon him, but resolutely refused to meet it.... They + walked on in silence until they came to the more open spaces near the edge + of the Park, thronged that Saturday evening by crowds which had sought the + city's breathing space. Perfect trees cast long, fantastic shadows across + the lawns, fountains flung up rainbows from the midst of lakes; children + of the tenements darted hither and thither, rolled and romped on the + grass; family parties picnicked everywhere, and a very babel of tongues + greeted the ear—the languages of Europe from Sweden to Italy. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly an exclamation from her aroused and thrilled him. + </p> + <p> + “Isn't it wonderful how happy they are, and with what simple pleasures + they are satisfied! I often come over here on Saturdays and Sundays, just + to talk to them.” + </p> + <p> + “Talk to them!” he echoed stupidly. “In their own languages?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I know a little German and Italian, though I can't lay claim to + Czech,” she answered gayly. “Why are you so surprised that I should + possess such modest accomplishments?” + </p> + <p> + “It's not the accomplishments.” He hesitated. + </p> + <p> + “No. You are surprised that I should be interested in humanity.” She stood + facing him. “Well, I am,” she said, half humorously, half defiantly. “I + believe I am more interested in human beings than in anything else in the + world—when they are natural, as these people are and when they will + tell one their joys and their troubles and their opinions.” + </p> + <p> + “Enthusiasm, self-assertion, had as usual, transformed her, and he saw the + colour glowing under her olive skin. Was she accusing him of a lack of + frankness? + </p> + <p> + “And why,” he asked, collecting himself, “did you think—” he got no + further. + </p> + <p> + “It's because you have an idea that I'm a selfish Epicurean, if that isn't + tautology—because I'm interested in a form of art, the rest of the + world can go hang. You have a prejudice against artists. I wish I really + were one, but I'm not.” + </p> + <p> + This speech contained so many surprises for him that he scarcely knew how + to answer it. + </p> + <p> + “Give me a little time,” he begged, “and perhaps I'll get over my + prejudices. The worst of them, at any rate. You are helping me to do so.” + He tried to speak lightly, but his tone was more serious in the next + sentence. “It seems to me personally that you have proved your concern for + your fellow-creatures.” + </p> + <p> + Her colour grew deeper, her manner changed. + </p> + <p> + “That gives me the opportunity to say something I have hoped to say, ever + since I saw you. I hoped I should see you again.” + </p> + <p> + “You are not going away soon?” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + The words were spoken before he grasped their significance. + </p> + <p> + “Not at once. I don't know how long I shall stay,” she answered hurriedly, + intent upon what was in her mind. “I have thought a great deal about what + I said to you that afternoon, and I find it more than ever difficult to + excuse myself. I shan't attempt to. I merely mean to ask you to forgive + me.” + </p> + <p> + “There is nothing to forgive,” he assured her, under the influence of the + feeling she had aroused. + </p> + <p> + “It's nice of you to say so, and to take it as you did—nicer than I + can express. I am afraid I shall never learn to appreciate that there may + be other points of view toward life than my own. And I should have + realized and sympathized with the difficulties of your position, and that + you were doing the best under the circumstances.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” he exclaimed, “don't say that! Your other instinct was the truer + one, if indeed you have really changed it—I don't believe you have.” + He smiled at her again. “You didn't hurt my feelings, you did me a + service. I told you so at the time, and I meant it. And, more than that, I + understood.” + </p> + <p> + “You understood—?” + </p> + <p> + “You were not criticizing me, you were—what shall I say?—merely + trying to iron out some of the inconsistencies of life. Well, you helped + me to iron out some of the inconsistencies of my own. I am profoundly + grateful.” + </p> + <p> + She gazed at him, puzzled. But he did not, he could not enlighten her. + Some day she would discover what he meant. + </p> + <p> + “If so, I am glad,” she said, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + They were standing in the midst of the crowd that thronged around the + pavilion. An urchin caught hold of the rector's coat. + </p> + <p> + “Here he is! Say, Mr. Hodder, ain't you going to have any sody?” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly we are,” he replied, returning Alison's faint smile.... In the + confusion that followed he caught a glimpse of her talking to Mr. Bentley; + and later, after he had taken her hand, his eyes followed her figure + wending its way in the evening light through the groups toward Park + Street, and he saw above the tree-tops the red tiled roof of the great + house in which she was living, alone. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV. THE CRUCIBLE + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + For better or worse John Hodder had flung his treasured beliefs into the + crucible, and one by one he watched them crumble and consume away. None + but his own soul knew what it cost him to make the test; and some times, + in the early stages of it, he would cast down his book under the lamp and + walk for hours in the night. Curiosity, and the despair of one who is lost + impelled him to persist. + </p> + <p> + It had been said of him that he had a talent for the law, and he now + discovered that his mind, once freed, weighed the evidence with a pitiless + logic, paid its own tribute—despite the anguish of the heart—to + the pioneers of truth whose trail it followed into the Unknown, who had + held no Mystery more sacred than Truth itself, who had dared to venture + into the nothingness between the whirling worlds. + </p> + <p> + He considered them, those whirling worlds, at night. Once they had been + the candles of Jehovah, to light the path of his chosen nation, to herald + the birth of his Son. And now? How many billions of blind, struggling + creatures clung to them? Where now was this pin-point of humanity, in the + midst of an appalling spectacle of a grinding, remorseless nature? + </p> + <p> + And that obscure Event on which he had staked his hopes? Was He, as John + had written, the First Born of the Universe, the Word Incarnate of a + system that defied time and space, the Logos of an outworn philosophy? Was + that Universe conscious, as Berkeley had declared, or the blind monster of + substance alone, or energy, as some modern scientists brutally and + triumphantly maintained? Where was the Spirit that breathed in it of hope? + </p> + <p> + Such were some of the questions that thronged for solution. What was mind, + what spirit? an attenuated vapour of the all-pervading substance? + </p> + <p> + He could not permit himself to dwell on these thoughts—madness lay + that way. Madness, and a watching demon that whispered of substance, and + sought to guide his wanderings in the night. Hodder clung to the shell of + reality, to the tiny panorama of the visible and the finite, to the + infinitesimal gropings that lay recorded before him on the printed page. + Let him examine these first, let him discover—despite the price—what + warrant the mind of man (the only light now vouchsafed to him in his + darkness) gave him to speculate and to hope concerning the existence of a + higher, truer Reality than that which now tossed and wounded him. It were + better to know. + </p> + <p> + Scarcely had the body been lifted from the tree than the disputes + commenced, the adulterations crept in. The spontaneity, the fire and zeal + of the self-sacrificing itinerant preachers gave place to the paralyzing + logic then pervading the Roman Empire, and which had sent its curse down + the ages to the modern sermon; the geometrical rules of Euclid were made + to solve the secrets of the universe. The simple faith of the cross which + had inspired the martyr along the bloody way from Ephesus to the Circus at + Rome was formalized by degrees into philosophy: the faith of future ages + was settled by compromises, by manipulation, by bribery in Councils of the + Church which resembled modern political conventions, and in which pagan + Emperors did not hesitate to exert their influence over the metaphysical + bishops of the factions. Recriminations, executions, murders—so the + chronicles ran. + </p> + <p> + The prophet, the idealist disappeared, the priest with his rites and + ceremonies and sacrifices, his power to save and damn, was once more in + possession of the world. + </p> + <p> + The Son of Man was degraded into an infant in his mother's arms. An + unhealthy, degenerating asceticism, drawn from pagan sources, began with + the monks and anchorites of Egypt and culminated in the spectacle of + Simeon's pillar. The mysteries of Eleusis, of Attis, Mithras, Magna Mater + and Isis developed into Christian sacraments—the symbol became the + thing itself. Baptism the confession of the new life, following the + customs of these cults, became initiation; and from the same superstitious + origins, the repellent materialistic belief that to eat of the flesh and + drink of the blood of a god was to gain immortality: immortality of the + body, of course. + </p> + <p> + Ah, when the superstitions of remote peoples, the fables and myths, were + taken away; when the manufactured history and determinism of the + Israelites from the fall of man to the coming of that Messiah, whom the + Jews crucified because he failed to bring them their material Kingdom, + were discredited; when the polemic and literal interpretations of + evangelists had been rejected, and the pious frauds of tampering monks; + when the ascetic Buddhism was removed; the cults and mysteries, the dogmas + of an ancient naive philosophy discarded; the crude science of a Ptolemy + who conceived the earth as a flat terrestrial expanse and hell as a + smoking pit beneath proved false; the revelation of a Holy City of jasper + and gold and crystal, the hierarchy with its divine franchise to save and + rule and conquer,—when all these and more were eliminated from + Christianity, what was left? + </p> + <p> + Hodder surveyed the ruins. And his mind recalled, that Sunday of rain in + New York which had been the turning-point in his life, when he had + listened to the preacher, when he had walked the streets unmindful of the + wet, led on by visions, racked by fears. And the same terror returned to + him now after all the years of respite, tenfold increased, of falling in + the sight of man from the topmost tower. + </p> + <p> + What was to become of him, now that the very driving power of life was + gone? Where would he go? to what might he turn his hand, since all were + vanity and illusion? Careers meant nothing, had any indeed been possible + to a man forty, left staring at stark reality after the rainbow had + vanished. Nineveh had mocked and conquered him who had thought himself a + conqueror. Self flew back and swung on its central pivot and took command. + His future, his fate, what was to become of him. Who else now was to be + considered? And what was to restrain him from reaching out his hand to + pluck the fruit which he desired?... + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + What control from the Unknown is this which now depresses and now releases + the sensitive thing called the soul of man, and sends it upward again + until the green light of hope shines through the surface water? He might + have grown accustomed, Holder thought, to the obscurity of the deeps; in + which, after a while, the sharp agony of existence became dulled, the + pressure benumbing. He was conscious himself, at such times, of no inner + recuperation. Something drew him up, and he would find himself living + again, at length to recognize the hand if not to comprehend the power. + </p> + <p> + The hand was Horace Bentley's. + </p> + <p> + What was the source of that serenity which shone on the face of his + friend? Was it the light of faith? Faith in—what? Humanity, Mr. + Bentley had told him on that first evening when they had met: faith in a + world filled with cruelties, disillusionments, lies, and cheats! On what + Authority was it based? Holder never asked, and no word of theology ever + crossed Mr. Bentley's lips; not by so much as a sign did he betray any + knowledge he may have had of the drama taking place in Holder's soul; no + comment escaped him on the amazing anomalies of the life the rector was + leading, in the Church but not of it. + </p> + <p> + It was only by degrees Holder came to understand that no question would be + asked, and the frequency of his visits to Dalton Street increased. He + directed his steps thither sometimes hurriedly, as though pursued, as to a + haven from a storm. And a haven it was indeed! At all hours of the day he + came, and oftener in the night, in those first weeks, and if Mr. Bentley + were not at home the very sight of the hospitable old darky brought + surging up within him a sense of security, of, relief; the library itself + was filled with the peace of its owner. How many others had brought their + troubles here, had been lightened on the very threshold of this sanctuary! + </p> + <p> + Gradually Hodder began to realize something of their numbers. Gradually, + as he was drawn more and more into the network of the relationships of + this extraordinary man,—nay, as he inevitably became a part of that + network,—a period of bewilderment ensued. He found himself involved, + and quite naturally, in unpremeditated activities, running errands, + forming human ties on a human basis. No question was asked, no credentials + demanded or rejected. Who he was made no difference—he was a friend + of Horace Bentley's. He had less time to read, less time to think, to scan + the veil of his future. + </p> + <p> + He had run through a score of volumes, critical, philosophical, + scientific, absorbing their contents, eagerly anticipating their + conclusions; filled, once he had begun, with a mania to destroy, a savage + determination to leave nothing,—to level all.... + </p> + <p> + And now, save for the less frequent relapsing moods, he had grown + strangely unconcerned about his future, content to live in the presence of + this man; to ignore completely the aspects of a life incomprehensible to + the few, besides Mr. Bentley, who observed it. + </p> + <p> + What he now mostly felt was relief, if not a faint self-congratulation + that he had had the courage to go through with it, to know the worst. And + he was conscious even, at times, of a faint reviving sense of freedom he + had not known since the days at Bremerton. If the old dogmas were false, + why should he regret them? He began to see that, once he had suspected + their falsity, not to have investigated were to invite decay; and he + pictured himself growing more unctuous, apologetic, plausible. He had, at + any rate, escaped the more despicable fate, and if he went to pieces now + it would be as a man, looking the facts in the face,—not as a coward + and a hypocrite. + </p> + <p> + Late one afternoon, when he dropped in at Mr. Bentley's house, he was + informed by Sam that a lady was awaiting Mr. Bentley in the library. As + Hodder opened the door he saw a tall, slim figure of a woman with her back + toward him. She was looking at the photographs on the mantel. + </p> + <p> + It was Alison Parr! + </p> + <p> + He remembered now that she had asked for Mr. Bentley's number, but it had + never occurred to him that he might one day find her here. And as she + turned he surprised in her eyes a shyness he had never seen in them + before. Thus they stood gazing at each other a moment before either spoke. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I thought you were Mr. Bentley,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Have you been waiting long?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Three quarters of an hour, but I haven't minded it. This is such an + interesting room, with its pictures and relics and books. It has a + soothing effect, hasn't it? To come here is like stepping out of the + turmoil of the modern world into a peaceful past.” + </p> + <p> + He was struck by the felicity of her description. + </p> + <p> + “You have been here before?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” She settled herself in the armchair; and Hodder, accepting the + situation, took the seat beside her. “Of course I came, after I had found + out who Mr. Bentley was. The opportunity to know him again—was not + to be missed.” + </p> + <p> + “I can understand that,” he assented. + </p> + <p> + “That is, if a child can even be said to know such a person as Mr. + Bentley. Naturally, I didn't appreciate him in those days—children + merely accept, without analyzing. And I have not yet been able to analyze,—I + can only speculate and consider.” + </p> + <p> + Her enthusiasm never failed to stir and excite Hodder. Nor would he have + thought it possible that a new value could be added to Mr. Bentley in his + eyes. Yet so it was. + </p> + <p> + He felt within him, as she spoke, the quickening of a stimulus. + </p> + <p> + “When I came in a little while ago,” Alison continued, “I found a woman in + black, with such a sweet, sad face. We began a conversation. She had been + through a frightful experience. Her husband had committed suicide, her + child had been on the point of death, and she says that she lies awake + nights now thinking in terror of what might have happened to her if you + and Mr. Bentley hadn't helped her. She's learning to be a stenographer. Do + you remember her?—her name is Garvin.” + </p> + <p> + “Did she say—anything more?” Hodder anxiously demanded. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Alison, surprised by his manner, “except that Mr. Bentley had + found her a place to live, near the hospital, with a widow who was a + friend of his. And that the child was well, and she could look life in the + face again. Oh, it is terrible to think that people all around us are + getting into such straits, and that we are so indifferent to it!” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not speak at once. He was wondering, now that she had renewed + her friendship with Mr. Bentley, whether certain revelations on her part + were not inevitable.... + </p> + <p> + She was regarding him, and he was aware that her curiosity was aflame. + Again he wondered whether it were curiosity or—interest. + </p> + <p> + “You did not tell me, when we met in the Park, that you were no longer at + St. John's.” + </p> + <p> + “Did Mr. Bentley tell you?” + </p> + <p> + “No. He merely said he saw a great deal of you. Martha Preston told me. + She is still here, and goes to church occasionally. She was much surprised + to learn that you were in the city. + </p> + <p> + “I am still living in the parish house,” he said. “I am—taking my + vacation.” + </p> + <p> + “With Mr. Bentley?” Her eyes were still on his face. + </p> + <p> + “With Mr. Bentley,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + He had spoken without bitterness. Although there had indeed been + bitterness in his soul, it passed away in the atmosphere of Mr. Bentley's + house. The process now taking place in him was the same complication of + negative and positive currents he had felt in her presence before. He was + surprised to find that his old antipathy to agnosticism held over, in her + case; to discover, now, that he was by no means, as yet, in view of the + existence of Horace Bentley, to go the full length of unbelief! On the + other hand, he saw that she had divined much of what had happened to him, + and he felt radiating from her a sympathetic understanding which seemed + almost a claim. She had a claim, although he could not have said of what + it was constituted. Their personal relationship bore responsibilities. It + suddenly came over him, in fact, that the two persons who in all the world + were nearest him were herself and Mr. Bentley! He responded, scarce + knowing why he did so, to the positive current. + </p> + <p> + “With Mr. Bentley,” he repeated, smiling, and meeting her eyes, “I have + been learning something about the actual conditions of life in a modern + city.” + </p> + <p> + She bent a little toward him in one of those spontaneous movements that + characterized her. + </p> + <p> + “Tell me—what is his life?” she asked. “I have seen so little of it, + and he has told me nothing himself. At first, in the Park, I saw only a + kindly old gentleman, with a wonderful, restful personality, who had been + a dear friend of my mother's. I didn't connect those boys with him. But + since then—since I have been here twice, I have seen other things + which make me wonder how far his influence extends.” She paused. + </p> + <p> + “I, too, have wondered,” said the rector, thoughtfully. “When I met him, I + supposed he were merely living in simple relationships with his neighbours + here in Dalton Street, but by degrees I have discovered that his + relationships are as wide as the city itself. And they have grown + naturally—by radiation, as it were. One incident has led to another, + one act of kindness to another, until now there seems literally no end to + the men and women with whom he is in personal touch, who are ready to do + anything in their power for him at any time. It is an institution, in + fact, wholly unorganized, which in the final analysis is one man. And + there is in it absolutely nothing of that element which has come to be + known as charity.” + </p> + <p> + Alison listened with parted lips. + </p> + <p> + “To give you an example,” he went on, gradually be coming fired by his + subject, by her absorption, “since you have mentioned Mrs. Garvin, I will + tell you what happened in that case. It is typical of many. It was a + question of taking care of this woman, who was worn out and crushed, until + she should recover sufficiently to take care of herself. Mr. Bentley did + not need any assistance from me to get the boy into the hospital—Dr. + Jarvis worships him. But the mother. I might possibly have got her into an + institutional home—Mr. Bentley did better than that, far better. On + the day of the funeral we went directly from the cemetery to the house of + a widow who owns a little fruit farm beyond the Park. Her name is Bledsoe, + and it is not an exaggeration to say that her house, small as it is, + contains an endowed room always at Mr. Bentley's disposal. + </p> + <p> + “Mrs. Garvin is there now. She was received as a friend, as a guest—not + as an inmate, a recipient of charity. I shall never forget how that woman + ran out in the sun when she saw us coming, how proud she was to be able to + do this thing, how she ushered us into the little parlour, that was all + swept and polished, and how naturally and warmly she welcomed the other + woman, dazed and exhausted, and took her hat and veil and almost carried + her up the stairs. And later on I found out from Miss Grower, who lives + here, Mrs. Bledsoe's history. Eight or nine years ago her husband was sent + to prison for forgery, and she was left with four small children, on the + verge of a fate too terrible to mention. She was brought to Mr. Bentley's + attention, and he started her in life. + </p> + <p> + “And now Mrs. Garvin forms another link to that chain, which goes on + growing. In a month she will be earning her own living as stenographer for + a grain merchant whom Mr. Bentley set on his feet several years ago. One + thing has led to the next. And—I doubt if any neighbourhood could be + mentioned, north or south or west, or even in the business portion of the + city itself, where men and women are not to be found ready and eager to do + anything in their power for him. Of course there have been exceptions, + what might be called failures in the ordinary terminology of charity, but + there are not many.” + </p> + <p> + When he had finished she sat quite still, musing over what he had told + her, her eyes alight. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it is wonderful,” she said at length, in a low voice. “Oh, I can + believe in that, making the world a better place to live in, making people + happier. Of course every one cannot be like Mr. Bentley, but all may do + their share in their own way. If only we could get rid of this senseless + system of government that puts a premium on the acquisition of property! + As it is, we have to depend on individual initiative. Even the good Mr. + Bentley does is a drop in the ocean compared to what might be done if all + this machinery—which has been invented, if all these discoveries of + science, by which the forces of an indifferent nature have been harnessed, + could be turned to the service of all mankind. Think of how many Mrs. + Garvins, of how many Dalton Streets there are in the world, how many + stunted children working in factories or growing up into criminals in the + slums! I was reading a book just the other day on the effect of the lack + of nutrition on character. We are breeding a million degenerate citizens + by starving them, to say nothing of the effect of disease and bad air, of + the constant fear of poverty that haunts the great majority of homes. + There is no reason why that fear should not be removed, why the latest + discoveries in medicine and science should not be at the disposal of all.” + </p> + <p> + The genuineness of her passion was unmistakable. His whole being responded + to it. + </p> + <p> + “Have you always felt like this?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Like what?” + </p> + <p> + “Indignant—that so many people were suffering.” + </p> + <p> + His question threw her into reflection. + </p> + <p> + “Why, no,” she answered, at length, “I never thought——I see + what you mean. Four or five years ago, when I was going to socialist + lectures, my sense of all this—inequality, injustice was + intellectual. I didn't get indignant over it, as I do now when I think of + it.” + </p> + <p> + “And why do you get indignant now?” + </p> + <p> + “You mean,” she asked, “that I have no right to be indignant, since I do + nothing to attempt to better conditions?—” + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” Hodder disavowed. “Perhaps my question is too personal, but + I didn't intend it to be. I was merely wondering whether any event or + series of events had transformed a mere knowledge of these conditions into + feeling.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” she exclaimed, but not in offence. Once more she relapsed into + thought. And as he watched her, in silence, the colour that flowed and + ebbed in her cheeks registered the coming and going of memories; of + incidents in her life hidden from him, arousing in the man the torture of + jealousy. But his faculties, keenly alert, grasped the entire field; + marked once more the empirical trait in her that he loved her unflinching + willingness to submit herself to an experiment. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose so,” she replied at length, her thoughts naturally assuming + speech. “Yes, I can see that it is so. Yet my experience has not been with + these conditions with which Mr. Bentley, with which you have been brought + in contact, but with the other side—with luxury. Oh, I am sick of + luxury! I love it, I am not at all sure that I could do without it, but I + hate it, too, I rebel against it. You can't understand that.” + </p> + <p> + “I think I can,” he answered her. + </p> + <p> + “When I see the creatures it makes,” she cried, “I hate it. My profession + has brought me in such close contact with it that I rebelled at last, and + came out here very suddenly, just to get away from it in the mass. To + renew my youth, if I could. The gardens were only an excuse. I had come to + a point where I wanted to be quiet, to be alone, to think, and I knew my + father would be going away. So much of my girlhood was spent in that Park + that I know every corner of it, and I—obeyed the impulse. I wanted + to test it.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said, absorbed. + </p> + <p> + “I might have gone to the mountains or the sea, but some one would have + come and found me, and I should have been bound again—on the wheel. + I shouldn't have had the strength to resist. But here—have you ever + felt,” she demanded, “that you craved a particular locality at a certain + time?” + </p> + <p> + He followed her still. + </p> + <p> + “That is how I felt. These associations, that Park, the thought of my + girlhood, of my mother, who understood me as no one else has since, + assumed a certain value. New York became unbearable. It is just there, in + the very centre of our modern civilization, that one sees the crudest + passions. Oh, I have often wondered whether a man, however disillusioned, + could see New York as a woman sees it when the glamour is gone. We are the + natural prey of the conqueror still. We dream of independence—” + </p> + <p> + She broke off abruptly. + </p> + <p> + This confession, with the sudden glimpse it gave him of the fires within + her that would not die down, but burned now more fiercely than ever, sent + the blood to his head. His face, his temples, were hot with the fierceness + of his joy in his conviction that she had revealed herself to him. Why she + had done so, he could not say... This was the woman whom the world thought + composed; who had triumphed over its opposition, compelled it to bow + before her; who presented to it that self-possessed, unified personality + by which he had been struck at their first meeting. Yet, paradoxically, + the personality remained,—was more elusive than before. A thousand + revelations, he felt, would not disclose it. + </p> + <p> + He was no nearer to solving it now.. Yet the fires burned! She, too, like + himself, was aflame and unsatisfied! She, too, had tasted success, and had + revolted! + </p> + <p> + “But I don't get anywhere,” she said wearily. “At times I feel this + ferment, this anger that things are as they are, only to realize what + helpless anger it is. Why not take the world as it appears and live and + feel, instead of beating against the currents?” + </p> + <p> + “But isn't that inconsistent with what you said awhile ago as to a new + civilization?” Hodder asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that Utopia has no reality for me. I think it has, at moments, but it + fades. And I don't pretend to be consistent. Mr. Bentley lives in a world + of his own; I envy him with all my heart, I love and admire him, he cheers + and soothes me when I am with him. But I can't see—whatever he sees. + I am only aware of a remorseless universe grinding out its destinies. We + Anglo-Saxons are fond of deceiving ourselves about life, of dressing it up + in beautiful colours, of making believe that it actually contains + happiness. All our fiction reflects this—that is why I never cared + to read English or American novels. The Continental school, the Russians, + the Frenchmen, refuse to be deluded. They are honest.” + </p> + <p> + “Realism, naturalism,” he mused, recalling a course in philosophy, “one + would expect the Russian, in the conditions under which he lives, + possessing an artistic temperament combined with a paralysis of the + initiative and a sense of fate, to write in that way. And the Frenchmen, + Renan, Zola, and the others who have followed, are equally deterministic, + but viewing the human body as a highly organized machine with which we may + amuse ourselves by registering its sensations. These literatures are true + in so far as they reflect the characteristics of the nations from which + they spring. That is not to say that the philosophies of which they are + the expressions are true. Nor is it to admit that such a literature is + characteristic of the spirit of America, and can be applied without change + to our life and atmosphere. We have yet, I believe, to develop our own + literature; which will come gradually as we find ourselves.” + </p> + <p> + “Find ourselves?” she repeated. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. Isn't that what we are trying to do? We are not determinists or + fatalists, and to condemn us to such a philosophy would be to destroy us. + We live on hope. In spite of our apparent materialism, we are idealists. + And is it not possible to regard nature as governed by laws—remorseless, + if you like the word—and yet believe, with Kant and Goethe, that + there is an inner realm? You yourself struggle—you cling to ideals.” + </p> + <p> + “Ideals!” she echoed. “Ideals are useless unless one is able to see, to + feel something beyond this ruthless mechanism by which we are surrounded + and hemmed in, to have some perception of another scheme. Why struggle, + unless we struggle for something definite? Oh, I don't mean heavenly + rewards. Nothing could be more insipid and senseless than the orthodox + view of the hereafter. I am talking about a scheme of life here and now.” + </p> + <p> + “So am I,” answered Hodder. “But may there not be a meaning in this very + desire we have to struggle against the order of things as it appears to + us?” + </p> + <p> + “A meaning?” + </p> + <p> + “A little while ago you spoke of your indignation at the inequalities and + injustices of the world, and when I asked you if you had always felt this, + you replied that this feeling had grown upon you. My question is this: + whether that indignation would be present at all if it were not meant to + be turned into action.” + </p> + <p> + “You believe that an influence is at work, an influence that impels us + against our reason?” + </p> + <p> + “I should like to think so,” he said. “Why should so many persons be + experiencing such a feeling to-day, persons who, like yourself, are the + beneficiaries of our present system of privilege? Why should you, who have + every reason to be satisfied, materially, with things as they are, be + troubling yourself with thoughts of others who are less-fortunate? And why + should we have the spectacle, today, of men and women all over this + country in social work, in science and medicine and politics, striving to + better conditions while most of them might be much more comfortable and + luxurious letting well enough alone?” + </p> + <p> + “But it's human to care,” she objected. + </p> + <p> + “Ah—human!” he said, and was silent. “What do we mean by human, + unless it is the distinguishing mark of something within us that the + natural world doesn't possess? Unless it is the desire and willingness to + strive for a larger interest than the individual interest, work and suffer + for others? And you spoke of making people happier. What do you mean by + happiness? Not merely the possession of material comforts, surely. I grant + you that those who are overworked and underfed, who are burning with the + consciousness of wrongs, who have no outlook ahead, are essentially + hopeless and miserable. But by 'happiness' you, mean something more than + the complacency and contentment which clothing and food might bring, and + the removal of the economic fear,—and even the restoration of + self-respect.” + </p> + <p> + “That their lives should be fuller!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “That drudgery and despair should be replaced by interest and hope,” he + went on, “slavery by freedom. In other words, that the whole attitude + toward life should be changed, that life should appear a bright thing + rather than a dark thing, that labour should be willing vicarious instead + of forced and personal. Otherwise, any happiness worth having is out of + the question.” + </p> + <p> + She was listening now with parted lips, apparently unconscious of the + fixity of her gaze. + </p> + <p> + “You mean it is a choice between that or nothing,” she said, in a low + voice. “That there is no use in lifting people out of the treadmill—and + removing the terror of poverty unless you can give them something more—than + I have got.” + </p> + <p> + “And something more—than I have got,”—he was suddenly moved to + reply... + </p> + <p> + Presently, while the silence still held between them, the door opened and + startled them into reality. Mr. Bentley came in. + </p> + <p> + The old gentleman gave no sign, as they rose to meet him, of a sense of + tension in the atmosphere he had entered—yet each felt—somehow, + that he knew. The tension was released. The same thought occurred to both + as they beheld the peaceful welcome shining in his face, “Here is what we + are seeking. Why try to define it?” + </p> + <p> + “To think that I have been gossiping with Mrs. Meyer, while you were + waiting for me!” he said. “She keeps the little florist's shop at the + corner of Tower Street, and she gave me these. I little guessed what good + use I should have for them, my dear.” + </p> + <p> + He held out to her three fragrant, crimson roses that matched the + responsive colour in her cheeks as she thanked him and pinned them on her + gown. He regarded her an instant. + </p> + <p> + “But I'm sure Mr. Hodder has entertained you,” Mr. Bentley turned, and + laid his hand on the rector's shoulder. + </p> + <p> + “Most successfully,” said Alison, cutting short his protest. And she + smiled at Hodder, faintly. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI. AMID THE ENCIRCLING GLOOM + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Hodder, in spite of a pressing invitation to remain for supper, had left + them together. He turned his face westward, in the opposite direction from + the parish house, still under the spell of that moment of communion which + had lasted—he knew not how long, a moment of silent revelation to + them both. She, too, was storm-tossed! She, too, who had fared forth so + gallantly into life, had conquered only to be beaten down—to lose + her way. + </p> + <p> + This discovery strained the very fibres of his being. So close he had been + to her—so close that each had felt, simultaneously, complete + comprehension of the other, comprehension that defied words, overbore + disagreements. He knew that she had felt it. He walked on at first in a + bewildered ecstasy, careless of aught else save that in a moment they two + had reached out in the darkness and touched hands. Never had his + experience known such communion, never had a woman meant what this woman + meant, and yet he could not define that meaning. What need of religion, of + faith in an unseen order when this existed? To have this woman in the + midst of chaos would be enough! + </p> + <p> + Faith in an unseen order! As he walked, his mind returned to the argument + by which he had sought to combat her doubts—and his own. Whence had + the argument come? It was new to him—he had never formulated it + before—that pity and longing and striving were a justification and a + proof. Had she herself inspired, by some unknown psychological law, this + first attempt of his to reform the universe, this theory which he had + rather spoken than thought? Or had it been the knowledge of her own + longing, and his desire to assuage it? As twilight fell, as his spirits + ebbed, he could not apply it now—it meant nothing to him, evaded + him, there was in it no solace. To regain his footing once more, to climb + again without this woman whom he needed, and might not have! Better to + fall, to be engulfed... The vision of her, tall and straight, with the + roses on her breast, tortured him. + </p> + <p> + Thus ecstasy ebbed to despondency. He looked around him in the fading day, + to find himself opposite the closed gates of the Botanical Gardens, in the + southwestern portion of the city.... An hour later he had made his way + back to Dalton Street with its sputtering blue lights and gliding figures, + and paused for a moment on the far sidewalk to gaze at Mr. Bentley's + gleaming windows. Should he go in? Had that personality suddenly lost its + power over him? How strange that now he could see nothing glowing, nothing + inspiring within that house,—only a kindly old man reading a + newspaper! + </p> + <p> + He walked on, slowly, to feel stealing on him that desperate longing for + adventure which he had known so well in his younger days. And he did not + resist. The terror with which it had once inspired him was gone, or + lingered only in the form of a delicious sense of uncertainty and + anticipation. Anything might happen to him—anything would be + grateful; the thought of his study in the parish house was unbearable; the + Dalton Street which had mocked and repelled him suddenly became alluring + with its champaigns of light and inviting stretches of darkness. In the + block ahead, rising out of the night like a tower blazing with a hundred + beacons, Hodder saw a hotel, heard the faint yet eager throbbing of music, + beheld silhouetted figures flitting from automobiles and carriages across + the white glare of the pavement,—figures of men and women. + </p> + <p> + He hastened his steps, the music grew louder and louder in his ears, he + gained the ornamental posts crowned by their incandescent globes, made his + way through the loiterers, descended the stone steps of the restaurant, + and stood staring into it as at a blurred picture. The band crashed a + popular two-step above the mingled voices and laughter. He sat down at a + vacant table near the door, and presently became aware that a waiter had + been for some time at his elbow. + </p> + <p> + “What will you have, sir?” + </p> + <p> + Then he remembered that he had not eaten, discovered that he was hungry, + and ordered some sandwiches and beer. Still staring, the figures began to + differentiate themselves, although they all appeared, somehow, in + perpetual motion; hurrying, though seated. It was like gazing at a + quivering cinematograph. Here and there ribbons of smoke curled upward, + adding volume to the blue cloud that hung over the tables, which in turn + was dissipated in spots by the industrious electric fans. Everywhere he + looked he met the glances of women; even at the table next him, they were + not so absorbed in their escorts as to be able to resist flinging him + covert stares between the shrieks of laughter in which they intermittently + indulged. The cumulative effect of all these faces was intoxicating, and + for a long time he was unable to examine closely any one group. What he + saw was a composite woman with flushed cheeks and soliciting eyes, + becomingly gowned and hatted—to the masculine judgment. On the + walls, heavily frescoed in the German style, he read, in Gothic letters: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Wer liebt nicht Wein, Weib, and Gesang, + Er bleibt ein Narr sein Leben lang.” + </pre> + <p> + The waiter brought the sandwiches and beer, yet he did not eat. In the + middle distance certain figures began insistently to stand out,—figures + of women sitting alone wherever he looked he met a provoking gaze. One + woman, a little farther away than the rest, seemed determinedly bent on + getting a nod of recognition, and it was gradually borne in upon Hodder's + consciousness that her features were familiar. In avoiding her eyes he + studied the men at the next table,—or rather one of them, who loudly + ordered the waiters about, who told brief anecdotes that were uproariously + applauded; whose pudgy, bejewelled fingers were continually feeling for + the bottle in the ice beside his chair, or nudging his companions with + easy familiarity; whose little eyes, set in a heavy face, lighted now and + again with a certain expression..... + </p> + <p> + Suddenly Hodder pushed back his chair and got to his feet, overcome by a + choking sensation like that of being, asphyxiated by foul gases. He must + get out at once, or faint. What he had seen in the man's eyes had aroused + in him sheer terror, for it was the image of something in his own soul + which had summarily gained supremacy and led him hither, unresisting, to + its own abiding-place. In vain he groped to reconstruct the process by + which that other spirit—which he would fain have believed his true + spirit—had been drugged and deadened in its very flight. + </p> + <p> + He was aware, as he still stood uncertainly beside the table, of the + white-aproned waiter looking at him, and of some one else!—the woman + whose eyes had been fastened on him so persistently. She was close beside + him, speaking to him. + </p> + <p> + “Seems to me we've met before.” + </p> + <p> + He looked at her, at first uncomprehendingly, then with a dawning + realization of her identity. Even her name came to him, unexpectedly,—Kate + Marcy,—the woman in the flat! + </p> + <p> + “Ain't you going to invite me to have some supper?” she whispered eagerly, + furtively, as one accustomed to be rebuffed, yet bold in spite of it. + “They'll throw me out if they think I'm accosting you.” + </p> + <p> + How was it that, a moment ago, she had appeared to him mysterious, + inviting? At this range he could only see the paint on her cheeks, the + shadows under her burning eyes, the shabby finery of her gown. Her + wonderful bronze hair only made the contrast more pitiful. He acted + automatically, drawing out for her the chair opposite his own, and sat + down again. + </p> + <p> + “Say, but I'm hungry!” she exclaimed, pulling off her gloves. She smiled + at him, wanly, yet with a brazen coquettishness become habit. + </p> + <p> + “Hungry!” he repeated idly. + </p> + <p> + “I guess you'd be, if you'd only had a fried egg and a cup of coffee + to-day, and nothing last night.” + </p> + <p> + He pushed over to her, hastily, with a kind of horror, the plate of + sandwiches. She began eating them ravenously; but presently paused, and + thrust them back toward him. He shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “What's the matter with you?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + “Nothing,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “You ordered them, didn't you? Ain't you eating anything?” + </p> + <p> + “I'm not hungry,” he said. + </p> + <p> + She continued eating awhile without comment. And he watched her as one + fascinated, oblivious to his surroundings, in a turmoil of thought and + emotion. + </p> + <p> + “I'm dry,” she announced meaningly. + </p> + <p> + He hesitated a moment, and then gave her the bottle of beer. She made a + wry face as she poured it out. + </p> + <p> + “Have they run out of champagne?” she inquired. + </p> + <p> + This time he did not hesitate. The women of his acquaintance, at the + dinner parties he attended, drank champagne. Why should he refuse it to + this woman? A long-nosed, mediaeval-looking waiter was hovering about, one + of those bizarre, battered creatures who have long exhausted the surprises + of life, presiding over this amazing situation with all the sang froid of + a family butler. Hodder told him to bring champagne. + </p> + <p> + “What kind, sir?” he asked, holding out a card. + </p> + <p> + “The best you have.” + </p> + <p> + The woman stared at him in wonder. + </p> + <p> + “You're what an English Johnny I know would call a little bit of all + right!” she declared with enthusiastic approval. + </p> + <p> + “Since you are hungry,” he went on, “suppose you have something more + substantial than sandwiches. What would you like?” + </p> + <p> + She did not answer at once. Amazement grew in her eyes, amazement and a + kind of fear. + </p> + <p> + “Quit joshing!” she implored him, and he found it difficult to cope with + her style of conversation. For a while she gazed helplessly at the bill of + fare. + </p> + <p> + “I guess you'll think it's funny,” she said hesitatingly, “but I feel just + like a good beefsteak and potatoes. Bring a thick one, Walter.” + </p> + <p> + The waiter sauntered off. + </p> + <p> + “Why should I think it strange?” Hodder asked. + </p> + <p> + “Well, if you knew how many evenings I've sat up there in my room and + thought what I'd order if I ever again got hold of some rich guy who'd + loosen up. There ain't any use trying to put up a bluff with you. Nothing + was too good for me once, caviar, pate de foie gras” (her pronunciation is + not to be imitated), “chicken casserole, peach Melba, filet of beef with + mushrooms,—I've had 'em all, and I used to sit up and say I'd hand + out an order like that. You never do what you think you're going to do in + this life.” + </p> + <p> + The truth of this remark struck him with a force she did not suspect; + stung him, as it were, into a sense of reality. + </p> + <p> + “And now,” she added pathetically, “all t want is a beefsteak! Don't that + beat you?” + </p> + <p> + She appeared so genuinely surprised at this somewhat contemptible trick + fate had played her that Hodder smiled in spite of himself. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't recognize you at first in that get-up,” she observed, looking at + his blue serge suit. “So you've dropped the preacher business, have you? + You're wise, all right.” + </p> + <p> + “Why do you say that?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Didn't I tell you when you came 'round that time that you weren't like + the rest of 'em? You're too human.” + </p> + <p> + Once more the word, and on her lips, startled him. + </p> + <p> + “Some of the best men I have ever known, the broadest and most + understanding men, have been clergymen,” he found himself protesting. + </p> + <p> + “Well, they haven't dropped in on me. The only one I ever saw that + measured up to something like that was you, and now you've chucked it.” + </p> + <p> + Had he, as she expressed the matter, “chucked it”? Her remark brought him + reluctantly, fearfully, remorselessly—agitated and unprepared as he + was—face to face with his future. + </p> + <p> + “You were too good for the job,” she declared. “What is there in it? There + ain't nobody converted these days that I can see, and what's the use of + gettin' up and preach into a lot of sapheads that don't know what religion + is? Sure they don't.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “You've called my bluff.” She laughed. “Say, do YOU? If there was anything + in it you'd have kept on preachin' to that bunch and made some of 'em + believe they was headed for hell; you'd have made one of 'em that owns the + flat house I live in, who gets fancy rents out of us poor girls, give it + up. That's a nice kind of business for a church member, ain't it?” + </p> + <p> + “Owns the house in which you live!” + </p> + <p> + “Sure.” She smiled at him compassionately, pitying his innocence and + ignorance. “Now I come to think of it, I guess he don't go to your church,—it's + the big Baptist church on the boulevard. But what's the difference?” + </p> + <p> + “None,” said Hodder, despondently. + </p> + <p> + She regarded him curiously. + </p> + <p> + “You remember when you dropped in that night, when the kid was sick?” + </p> + <p> + He nodded. + </p> + <p> + “Well, now you ain't in the business any more, I may as well tell you you + kind of got in on me. I was sorry for you—honest, I was. I couldn't + believe at first you was on the level, but it didn't take me long to see + that they had gold-bricked you, too. I saw you weren't wise to what they + were.” + </p> + <p> + “You thought—” he began and paused dumfounded. + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” she retorted. “It looked easy to me,—your line. How was I + to know at first that they had you fooled? How was I to know you wasn't in + the game?” + </p> + <p> + “The game?” + </p> + <p> + “Say, what else is it but a game? You must be on now, ain't you? Why. do + they put up to keep the churches going? There ain't any coupons coming out + of 'em. + </p> + <p> + “Maybe some of these millionaires think they can play all the horses and + win,—get into heaven and sell gold bricks on the side. But I guess + most of 'em don't think about heaven. They just use the church for a + front, and take in strangers in the back alley,—downtown.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was silent, overwhelmed by the brutal aptness of her figures. Nor + did he take the trouble of a defence, of pointing out that hers was not + the whole truth. What really mattered—he saw—was what she and + those like her thought. Such minds were not to be disabused by argument; + and indeed he had little inclination for it then. + </p> + <p> + “There's nothing in it.” + </p> + <p> + By this expression he gathered she meant life. And some hidden impulse + bade him smile at her. + </p> + <p> + “There is this,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + She opened her mouth, closed it and stared at him, struck by his + expression, striving uneasily to fathom hidden depths in his remark. + </p> + <p> + “I don't get on to you,” she said lamely. “I didn't that other time. I + never ran across anybody like you.” + </p> + <p> + He tried to smile again. + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't mind me,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + They fell into an oasis of silence, surrounded by mad music and laughter. + Then came the long-nosed waiter carrying the beefsteak aloft, followed by + a lad with a bucket of ice, from which protruded the green and gold neck + of a bottle. The plates were put down, the beefsteak carved, the champagne + opened and poured out with a flourish. The woman raised her glass. + </p> + <p> + “Here's how!” she said, with an attempt at gayety. And she drank to him. + “It's funny how I ran across you again, ain't it?” She threw back her head + and laughed. + </p> + <p> + He raised his glass, tasted the wine, and put it down again. A sheet of + fire swept through him. + </p> + <p> + “What's the matter with it? Is it corked?” she demanded. “It goes to the + right spot with me.” + </p> + <p> + “It seems very good,” he said, trying to smile, and turning to the food on + his plate. The very idea of eating revolted him—and yet he made the + attempt: he had a feeling, ill defined, that consequences of vital + importance depended upon this attempt, on his natural acceptance of the + situation. And, while he strove to reduce the contents of his plate, he + racked his brain for some subject of conversation. The flamboyant walls of + the room pressed in on every side; comment of that which lay within their + limits was impossible,—but he could not, somehow, get beyond them. + Was there in the whole range of life one easy topic which they might share + in common? Yet a bond existed between this woman and himself—a bond + of which he now became aware, and which seemed strangely to grow stronger + as the minutes passed and no words were spoken. Why was it that she, too, + to whom speech came so easily, had fallen dumb? He began to long for some + remark, however disconcerting. The tension increased. + </p> + <p> + She put down her knife and fork. Tears sprang into her eyes,—tears + of anger, he thought. + </p> + <p> + “Say, it's no use trying to put up a bluff with me,” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you say that?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “You know what I mean, all right. What did you come in here for, anyway?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know—I couldn't tell you,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + The very honesty of his words seemed, for an instant, to disconcert her; + and she produced a torn lace handkerchief, which she thrust in her eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Why can't you leave me alone?” she demanded. “I'm all right.” + </p> + <p> + If he did not at once reply, it was because of some inner change which had + taken place in himself; and he seemed to see things, suddenly, in their + true proportions. He no longer feared a scene and its consequences. By + virtue of something he had cast off or taken on, he was aware of a newly + acquired mastery of the situation, and by a hidden and unconscious process + he had managed to get at the real woman behind the paint: had beaten down, + as it were without a siege, her defences. And he was incomparably awed by + the sight of her quivering, frightened self. + </p> + <p> + Her weeping grew more violent. He saw the people at the next table turn + and stare, heard the men laughing harshly. For the spectacle was evidently + not an uncommon one here. She pushed away her unfinished glass, gathered + up her velvet bag and rose abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “I guess I ain't hungry after all,” she said, and started toward the door. + He turned to the waiter, who regarded him unmoved, and asked for a check. + </p> + <p> + “I'll get it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Hodder drew out a ten dollar bill, and told him to keep the change. The + waiter looked at him. Some impulse moved him to remark, as he picked up + the rector's hat: + </p> + <p> + “Don't let her put it over you, sir.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder scarcely heard him. He hurried up the steps and gained the + pavement, and somewhere in the black shadows beyond the arc-lights he saw + her disappearing down the street. Careless of all comment he hastened on, + overtook her, and they walked rapidly side by side. Now and again he heard + a sob, but she said nothing. Thus they came to the house where the Garvins + had lived, and passed it, and stopped in front of the dimly lighted + vestibule of the flats next door. In drawing the key from her bag she + dropped it: he picked it up and put it in the lock himself. She led the + way without comment up the darkened stairs, and on the landing produced + another key, opened the door of her rooms, fumbled for the electric + button, and suddenly the place was flooded with light. He glanced in, and + recoiled. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Oddly enough, the first thing he noticed in the confusion that reigned was + the absence of the piano. Two chairs were overturned, and one of them was + broken; a siphon of vichy lay on the floor beside a crushed glass and two + or three of the cheap ornaments that had been swept off the mantel and + broken on the gaudy tiles of the hearth. He glanced at the woman, who had + ceased crying, and stood surveying the wreckage with the calmness, the + philosophic nonchalance of a class that comes to look upon misfortune as + inevitable. + </p> + <p> + “They didn't do a thing to this place, did they?” was her comment. “There + was two guys in here to-night who got a notion they were funny.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder had thought to have fathomed all the horrors of her existence, but + it was not until he looked into this room that the bottomless depths of it + were brought home to him. Could it be possible that the civilization in + which he lived left any human being so defenceless as to be at the mercy + of the ghouls who had been here? The very stale odours of the spilled + whiskey seemed the material expression of the essence of degraded souls; + for a moment it overpowered him. Then came the imperative need of action, + and he began to right one of the chairs. She darted forward. + </p> + <p> + “Cut it out!” she cried. “What business have you got coming in here and + straightening up? I was a fool to bring you, anyway.” + </p> + <p> + It was in her eyes that he read her meaning, and yet could not credit it. + He was abashed—ashamed; nay, he could not define the feeling in his + breast. He knew that what he read was the true interpretation of her + speech, for in some manner—he guessed not how—she had begun to + idealize him, to feel that the touch of these things defiled him. + </p> + <p> + “I believe I invited myself,” he answered, with attempted cheerfulness. + Then it struck him, in his predicament, that this was precisely what + others had done! + </p> + <p> + “When you asked me a little while ago whether I had left the Church, I let + you think I had. I am still connected with St. John's, but I do not know + how long I shall continue to be.” + </p> + <p> + She was on her knees with dustpan and whiskbroom, cleaning up the + fragments of glass on the stained carpet. And she glanced up at him + swiftly, diviningly. + </p> + <p> + “Say—you're in trouble yourself, ain't you?” + </p> + <p> + She got up impulsively, spilling some of the contents of the pan. A subtle + change had come in her, and under the gallantly drooping feathers of her + hat he caught her eye—the human eye that so marvellously reflects + the phases of the human soul: the eye which so short a time before hardily + and brazenly had flashed forth its invitation, now actually shone with + fellowship and sympathy. And for a moment this look was more startling, + more appalling than the other; he shrank from it, resented it even more. + Was it true that they had something in common? And if so, was it sin or + sorrow, or both? + </p> + <p> + “I might have known,” she said, staring at him. In spite of his gesture of + dissent, he saw that she was going over the events of the evening from her + new point of view. + </p> + <p> + “I might have known, when we were sitting there in Harrods, that you were + up against it, too, but I couldn't think of anything but the way I was + fixed. The agent's been here twice this week for the rent, and I was kind + of desperate for a square meal.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder took the dustpan from her hand, and flung its contents into the + fireplace. + </p> + <p> + “Then we are both fortunate,” he said, “to have met each other.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't see where you come in,” she told him. + </p> + <p> + He turned and smiled at her. + </p> + <p> + “Do you remember when I was here that evening about two months ago I said + I should like to be your friend? Well, I meant it. And I have often hoped, + since then, that some circumstance might bring us together again. You + seemed to think that no friendship was possible between us, but I have + tried to make myself believe that you said so because you didn't know me.” + </p> + <p> + “Honest to God?” she asked. “Is that on the level?” + </p> + <p> + “I only ask for an opportunity to prove it,” he replied, striving to speak + naturally. He stooped and laid the dustpan on the hearth. “There! Now + let's sit down.” + </p> + <p> + She sank on the sofa, her breast rising and falling, her gaze dumbly fixed + on him, as one under hypnosis. He took the rocker. + </p> + <p> + “I have wanted to tell you how grateful Mrs. Garvin, the boy's mother—was + for the roses you brought. She doesn't know who sent them, but I intend to + tell her, and she will thank you herself. She is living out in the + country. And the boy—you would scarcely recognize him.” + </p> + <p> + “I couldn't play the piano for a week after—that thing happened.” + She glanced at the space where the instrument had stood. + </p> + <p> + “You taught yourself to play?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I had music lessons.” + </p> + <p> + “Music lessons?” + </p> + <p> + “Not here—before I left home—up the State, in a little country + town,—Madison. It seems like a long time ago, but it's only seven + years in September. Mother and father wanted all of us children to know a + little more than they did, and I guess they pinched a good deal to give us + a chance. I went a year to the high school, and then I was all for coming + to the city—I couldn't stand Madison, there wasn't anything going + on. Mother was against it,—said I was too good-looking to leave + home. I wish I never had. You wouldn't believe I was good-looking once, + would you?” + </p> + <p> + She spoke dispassionately, not seeming to expect assent, but Hodder + glanced involuntarily at her wonderful crown of hair. She had taken off + her hat. He was thinking of the typical crime of American parents,—and + suddenly it struck him that her speech had changed, that she had dropped + the suggestive slang of the surroundings in which she now lived. + </p> + <p> + “I was a fool to come, but I couldn't see it then. All I could think of + was to get away to a place where something was happening. I wanted to get + into Ferguson's—everybody in Madison knew about Ferguson's, what a + grand store it was,—but I couldn't. And after a while I got a place + at the embroidery counter at Pratt's. That's a department store, too, you + know. It looked fine, but it wasn't long before I fell wise to a few + things.” (She relapsed into slang occasionally.) “Have you ever tried to + stand on your feet for nine hours, where you couldn't sit down for a + minute? Say, when Florry Kinsley and me—she was the girl I roomed + with—would get home at night, often we'd just lie down and laugh and + cry, we were so tired, and our feet hurt so. We were too used up sometimes + to get up and cook supper on the little stove we had. And sitting around a + back bedroom all evening was worse than Madison. We'd go out, tired as we + were, and walk the streets.” + </p> + <p> + He nodded, impressed by the fact that she did not seem to be appealing to + his sympathy. Nor, indeed, did she appear—in thus picking up the + threads of her past—to be consciously accounting for her present. + She recognized no causation there. + </p> + <p> + “Say, did you ever get to a place where you just had to have something + happen? When you couldn't stand bein' lonely night after night, when you + went out on the streets and saw everybody on the way to a good time but + you? We used to look in the newspapers for notices of the big balls, and + we'd take the cars to the West End and stand outside the awnings watching + the carriages driving up and the people coming in. And the same with the + weddings. We got to know a good many of the swells by sight. There was + Mrs. Larrabbee,”—a certain awe crept into her voice—“and Miss + Ferguson—she's sweet—and a lot more. Some of the girls used to + copy their clothes and hats, but Florry and me tried to live honest. It + was funny,” she added irrelevantly, “but the more worn out we were at + night, the more we'd want a little excitement, and we used to go to the + dance-halls and keep going until we were ready to drop.” + </p> + <p> + She laughed at the recollection. + </p> + <p> + “There was a floorwalker who never let me alone the whole time I was at + Pratt's—he put me in mind of a pallbearer. His name was Selkirk, and + he had a family in Westerly, out on the Grade Suburban.... Some of the + girls never came back at all, except to swagger in and buy expensive + things, and tell us we were fools to work. And after a while I noticed + Florry was getting discouraged. We never had so much as a nickel left over + on Saturdays and they made us sign a paper, when they hired us, that we + lived at home. It was their excuse for paying us six dollars a week. They + do it at Ferguson's, too. They say they can get plenty of girls who do + live at home. I made up my mind I'd go back to Madison, but I kept putting + it off, and then father died, and I couldn't! + </p> + <p> + “And then, one day, Florry left. She took her things from the room when I + was at the store, and I never saw her again. I got another roommate. I + couldn't afford to pay for the room alone. You wouldn't believe I kept + straight, would you?” she demanded, with a touch of her former defiance. + “I had plenty of chances better than that floorwalker. But I knew I was + good looking, and I thought if I could only hold out I might get married + to some fellow who was well fixed. What's the matter?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder's exclamation had been involuntary, for in these last words she had + unconsciously brought home to him the relentless predicament in the lives + of these women. She had been saving herself—for what? A more + advantageous, sale! + </p> + <p> + “It's always been my luck,” she went on reflectingly, “that when what I + wanted to happen did happen, I never could take advantage of it. It was + just like that to-night, when you handed me out the bill of fare, and I + ordered beefsteak. And it was like that when—when he came along—I + didn't do what I thought I was going to do. It's terrible to fall in love, + isn't it? I mean the real thing. I've read in books that it only comes + once, and I guess it's so.” + </p> + <p> + Fortunately she seemed to expect no answer to this query. She was staring + at the wall with unseeing eyes. + </p> + <p> + “I never thought of marrying him, from the first. He could have done + anything with me—he was so good and generous—and it was him I + was thinking about. That's love, isn't it? Maybe you don't believe a woman + like me knows what love is. You've got a notion that goin' downhill, as + I've been doing, kills it, haven't you? I Wish to God it did—but it + don't: the ache's there, and sometimes it comes in the daytime, and + sometimes at night, and I think I'll go crazy. When a woman like me is in + love there isn't anything more terrible on earth, I tell you. If a girl's + respectable and good it's bad enough, God knows, if she can't have the man + she wants; but when she's like me—it's hell. That's the only way I + can describe it. She feels there is nothing about her that's clean, that + he wouldn't despise. There's many a night I wished I could have done what + Garvin did, but I didn't have the nerve.” + </p> + <p> + “Don't say that!” he commanded sharply. + </p> + <p> + “Why not? It's the best way out.” + </p> + <p> + “I can see how one might believe it to be,” he answered. Indeed, it seemed + that his vision had been infinitely extended, that he had suddenly come + into possession of the solution of all the bewildered, despairing gropings + of the human soul. Only awhile ago, for instance, the mood of + self-destruction had been beyond his imagination: tonight he understood + it, though he still looked upon it with horror. And he saw that his + understanding of her—or of any human being—could never be of + the intellect. He had entered into one of those astounding yet simple + relationships wherein truth, and truth alone, is possible. He knew that + such women lied, deceived themselves; he could well conceive that the + image of this first lover might have become idealized in her vicissitudes; + that the memories of the creature-comforts, of first passion, might have + enhanced as the victim sank. It was not only because she did not attempt + to palliate that he believed her. + </p> + <p> + “I remember the time I met him,—it was only four years ago last + spring, but it seems like a lifetime. It was Decoration Day, and it was so + beautiful I went out with another girl to the Park, and we sat on the + grass and looked at the sky and wished we lived in the country. He was in + an automobile; I never did know exactly how it happened,—we looked + at each other, and he slowed up and came back and asked us to take a ride. + I had never been in one of those things—but that wasn't why I went, + I guess. Well, the rest was easy. He lost his head, and I was just as bad. + You wouldn't believe me if I told you how rich he was: it scared me when I + found out about him, and he was so handsome and full of fun and spirits, + and generous! I never knew anybody like him. Honest, I never expected he'd + want to marry me. He didn't at first,—it was only after a while. I + never asked him to, and when he began to talk about it I told him it would + cut him off from his swell friends, and I knew his father might turn him + loose. Oh, it wasn't the money! Well, he'd get mad all through, and say he + never got along with the old man, and that his friends would have to take + me, and he couldn't live without me. He said he would have me educated, + and bought me books, and I tried to read them. I'd have done anything for + him. He'd knocked around a good deal since he'd been to Harvard College,—he + wasn't what you'd call a saint, but his heart was all right. And he + changed, too, I could see it. He said he was going to make something out + of himself. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't think it was possible to be so happy, but I had a feeling all + along, inside of me, that it couldn't come off. I had a little flat in + Rutger Street, over on the south side, and everything in the world I + wanted. Well, one day, sure enough, the bell rang and I opened the door, + and there stood a man with side whiskers staring at me, and staring until + I was frightened to death. I never saw such eyes as he had. And all of a + sudden I knew it was his father. + </p> + <p> + “'Is this Miss Marcy?'” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I couldn't say anything at all, but he handed me his card and smiled, + I'll never forget how he smiled—and came right in and sat down. I'd + heard of that man all my life, and how much money he'd made, and all that. + Why, up in Madison folks used to talk about him—” she checked + herself suddenly and stared at Hodder in consternation. “Maybe you know + him!” she exclaimed. “I never thought!” + </p> + <p> + “Maybe I do,” he assented wearily. In the past few moments suspicion had + become conviction. + </p> + <p> + “Well—what difference does it make—now? It's all over, and I'm + not going to bother him. I made up my mind I wouldn't, on account of him, + you understand. I never fell that low—thank God!” + </p> + <p> + Hodder nodded. He could not speak.... The woman seemed to be living over + again that scene, in her imagination. + </p> + <p> + “I just couldn't realize who it was sitting there beside me, but if I + hadn't known it wouldn't have made any difference. He could have done + anything with me, anyway, and he knew how to get at me. He said, now that + he'd seen me, that he was sure I was a good girl at the bottom and loved + his son, and that I wouldn't want to ruin the boy when he had such a big + future ahead of him. I wouldn't have thought, to look at the man, that he + could have been so gentle. I made a fool of myself and cried, and told him + I'd go away and never see his son any more—that I'd always been + against marrying him. Well, he almost had tears in his eyes when he + thanked me and said I'd never regret it, and he pulled an envelope out of + his pocket. I said I wouldn't take any money, and gave it back to him. + I've always been sorry since that I didn't make him take it back—it + never did anything but harm to me. But he had his way. He laid it on the + table and said he wouldn't feel right, and took my hand—and I just + didn't care. + </p> + <p> + “Well, what do you think I did after he'd gone? I went and played a piece + on the piano,—and I never can bear to hear that ragtime to this day. + I couldn't seem to feel anything. And after a while I got up and opened + the envelope—it was full of crackly new hundred dollar bills—thirty + of 'em, and as I sat there staring at 'em the pain came on, like a + toothache, in throbs, getting worse all the time until I just couldn't + stand it. I had a notion of sending the money back even then, but I + didn't. I didn't know how to do it,—and as I told you, I wasn't able + to care much. Then I remembered I'd promised to go away, and I had to have + some money for that, and if I didn't leave right off I wouldn't have the + strength to do it. I hadn't even thought where to go: I couldn't think, so + I got dressed and went down to the depot anyway. It was one of those + bright, bitter cold winter days after a thaw when the icicles are hanging + everywhere. I went inside and walked up and down that long platform under + the glass roof. My, it was cold in there! I looked over all the signs, and + made up my mind I'd go to Chicago. + </p> + <p> + “I meant to work, I never meant to spend the money, but to send it back. + I'd put it aside—and then I'd go and take a little. Say, it was easy + not to work—and I didn't care what happened to me as long as I + wasn't going to see him again. Well, I'm not trying to smooth it over, I + suppose there was something crooked about me from the start, but I just + went clean to hell with that money, and when I heard he'd gone away, I + came back here.” + </p> + <p> + “Something crooked!” The words rang in Hodder's ears, in his very soul. + How was he or any man to estimate, to unravel the justice from the + injustice, to pass upon the merit of this woman's punishment? Here again, + in this vitiated life, was only to be seen the remorseless working of law—cause + and effect. Crooked! Had not the tree been crooked from the beginning—incapable + of being straightened? She had herself naively confessed it. Was not the + twist ingrained? And if so, where was the salvation he had preached? There + was good in her still,—but what was “good”?... He took no account of + his profound compassion. + </p> + <p> + What comfort could he give her, what hope could he hold out that the + twist, now gnarled and knotted, might be removed, that she might gain + peace of soul and body and the “happiness” of which he had talked with + Alison Parr?... He raised his eyes, to discover that the woman's were + fixed upon him, questioningly. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose I was a fool to tell you,” she said, with a shade of her old + bitterness; “it can't do any good.” Her next remark was startlingly + astute. “You've found out for yourself, I guess, that all this talk about + heaven and hell and repentance don't amount to anything. Hell couldn't be + any worse than I've been through, no matter how hot it is. And heaven!” + She laughed, burst into tears, and quickly dried them. “You know the man + I've been talking about, that bought me off. I didn't intend to tell you, + but I see you can't help knowing—Eldon Parr. I don't say he didn't + do right from his way of looking at things,—but say, it wasn't + exactly Christian, was it?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” he said, “it wasn't.” He bowed his head, and presently, when he + raised it again, he caught something in her look that puzzled and + disturbed him—an element of adoration. + </p> + <p> + “You're white through and through,” she said, slowly and distinctly. + </p> + <p> + And he knew not how to protest. + </p> + <p> + “I'll tell you something,” she went on, as one who has made a discovery. + “I liked you the first time you came in here—that night—when + you wanted me to be friends; well, there was something that seemed to make + it impossible then. I felt it, if you didn't.” She groped for words. “I + can't explain what it was, but now it's gone. You're different. I think a + lot more of you. Maybe it's because of what you did at Harrod's, sitting + down with me and giving me supper when I was so hungry, and the champagne. + You weren't ashamed of me.” + </p> + <p> + “Good God, why should I have been!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “You! Why shouldn't you?” she cried fiercely. + </p> + <p> + “There's hardly a man in that place that wouldn't have been. They all know + me by sight—and some of 'em better. You didn't see 'em grinning when + I came up to you, but I did. My God—it's awful—it's awful + I....” She burst into violent weeping, long deferred. + </p> + <p> + He took her hand in his, and did not speak, waiting for the fit to spend + itself.... And after a while the convulsive shudders that shook her + gradually ceased. + </p> + <p> + “You must trust me,” he said. “The first thing tomorrow I'm going to make + arrangements for you to get out of these rooms. You can't stay here any + longer.” + </p> + <p> + “That's sure,” she answered, trying to smile. “I'm broke. I even owe the + co—the policeman.” + </p> + <p> + “The policeman!” + </p> + <p> + “He has to turn it in to Tom Beatty and the politicians” + </p> + <p> + Beatty! Where had he heard the name? Suddenly it came to him that Beatty + was the city boss, who had been eulogized by Mr. Plimpton! + </p> + <p> + “I have some good friends who will be glad to help you to get work—and + until you do get work. You will have to fight—but we all have to + fight. Will you try?” + </p> + <p> + “Sure, I'll try,” she answered, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + Her very tone of submission troubled him. And he had a feeling that, if he + had demanded, she would have acquiesced in anything. + </p> + <p> + “We'll talk it over to-morrow,” he went on, clinging to his note of + optimism. “We'll find out what you can do easiest, to begin with.” + </p> + <p> + “I might give music lessons,” she suggested. + </p> + <p> + The remark increased his uneasiness, for he recognized in it a sure + symptom of disease—a relapse into what might almost have been called + levity, blindness to the supreme tragedy of her life which but a moment + before had shaken and appalled her. He shook his head bravely. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid that wouldn't do—at first.” + </p> + <p> + She rose and went into the other room, returning in a few moments with a + work basket, from which she drew a soiled and unfinished piece of + embroidery. + </p> + <p> + “There's a bureau cover I started when I was at Pratt's,” she said, as she + straightened it over her knees. “It's a copy of an expensive one. I never + had the patience to finish it, but one of the sales-ladies there, who was + an expert, told me it was pretty good: She taught me the stitch, and I had + a notion at that time I might make a little money for dresses and the + theatre. I was always clever with my hands.” + </p> + <p> + “The very thing!” he said, with hopeful emphasis. “I'm sure I can get you + plenty of it to do. And I'll come back in the morning.” + </p> + <p> + He gave it back to her, and as she was folding it his glance fell on a + photograph in the basket. + </p> + <p> + “I kept it, I don't know why,” he heard her say; “I didn't have the heart + to burn it.” + </p> + <p> + He started recovered himself, and rose. + </p> + <p> + “I'll go to see the agent the first thing to-morrow,” he said. “And then—you'll + be ready for me? You trust me?” + </p> + <p> + “I'd do anything for you,” was her tremulous reply. + </p> + <p> + Her disquieting, submissive smile haunted him as he roped his way down the + stairs to the street, and then the face in the photograph replaced it—the + laughing eyes, the wilful, pleasure—loving mouth he had seen in the + school and college pictures of Preston Parr. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0022" id="link2H_4_0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 5. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII. RECONSTRUCTION + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Life had indeed become complicated, paradoxical. He, John Hodder, a + clergyman, rector of St. John's by virtue of not having resigned, had + entered a restaurant of ill repute, had ordered champagne for an abandoned + woman, and had no sense of sin when he awoke the next morning! The devil, + in the language of orthodox theology, had led him there. He had fallen + under the influence of the tempter of his youth, and all in him save the + carnal had been blotted out. + </p> + <p> + More paradoxes! If the devil had not taken possession of him and led him + there, it were more than probable that he could never have succeeded in + any other way in getting on a footing of friendship with this woman, Kate + Marcy. Her future, to be sure, was problematical. Here was no simple, + sentimental case he might formerly have imagined, of trusting innocence + betrayed, but a mixture of good and evil, selfishness and unselfishness. + And she had, in spite of all, known the love which effaces self! Could the + disintegration, in her case, be arrested? + </p> + <p> + Gradually Hodder was filled with a feeling which may be called amazement + because, although his brain was no nearer to a solution than before, he + was not despondent. For a month he had not permitted his mind to dwell on + the riddle; yet this morning he felt stirring within him a new energy for + which he could not account, a hope unconnected with any mental process! He + felt in touch, once more, faintly but perceptibly, with something stable + in the chaos. In bygone years he had not seen the chaos, but the illusion + of an orderly world, a continual succession of sunrises, 'couleur de + rose', from the heights above Bremerton. Now were the scales fallen from + his eyes; now he saw the evil, the injustice, the despair; felt, in truth, + the weight of the sorrow of it all, and yet that sorrow was unaccountably + transmuted, as by a chemical process, into something which for the first + time had a meaning—he could not say what meaning. The sting of + despair had somehow been taken out of it, and it remained poignant! + </p> + <p> + Not on the obsession of the night before, when he had walked down Dalton + Street and beheld it transformed into a realm of adventure, but upon his + past life did he look back now with horror, upon the even tenor of those + days and years in the bright places. His had been the highroad of a + fancied security, from which he had feared to stray, to seek his God + across the rough face of nature, from black, forgotten capons to the + flying peaks in space. He had feared reality. He had insisted upon gazing + at the universe through the coloured glasses of an outworn theology, + instead of using his own eyes. + </p> + <p> + So he had left the highroad, the beaten way of salvation many others had + deserted, had flung off his spectacles, had plunged into reality, to be + scratched and battered, to lose his way. Not until now had something of + grim zest come to him, of an instinct which was the first groping of a + vision, as to where his own path might lie. Through what thickets and over + what mountains he knew not as yet—nor cared to know. He felt + resistance, whereas on the highroad he had felt none. On the highroad his + cry had gone unheeded and unheard, yet by holding out his hand in the + wilderness he had helped another, bruised and bleeding, to her feet! + Salvation, Let it be what it might be, he would go on, stumbling and + seeking, through reality. + </p> + <p> + Even this last revelation, of Eldon Parr's agency in another tragedy, + seemed to have no further power to affect him... Nor could Hodder think of + Alison as in blood-relationship to the financier, or even to the boy, + whose open, pleasure-loving face he had seen in the photograph. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + A presage of autumn was in the air, and a fine, misty rain drifted in at + his windows as he sat at his breakfast. He took deep breaths of the + moisture, and it seemed to water and revive his parching soul. He found + himself, to his surprise, surveying with equanimity the pile of books in + the corner which had led him to the conviction of the emptiness of the + universe—but the universe was no longer empty! It was cruel, but a + warring force was at work in it which was not blind, but directed. He + could not say why this was so, but he knew it, he felt it, sensed its + energy within him as he set out for Dalton Street. + </p> + <p> + He was neither happy nor unhappy, but in equilibrium, walking with sure + steps, and the anxiety in which he had fallen asleep the night before was + gone: anxiety lest the woman should have fled, or changed her mind, or + committed some act of desperation. + </p> + <p> + In Dalton Street a thin coat of yellow mud glistened on the asphalt, but + even the dreariness of this neighbourhood seemed transient. He rang the + bell of the flat, the door swung open, and in the hall above a woman + awaited him. She was clad in black. + </p> + <p> + “You wouldn't know me, would you?” she inquired. “Say, I scarcely know + myself. I used to wear this dress at Pratt's, with white collars and cuffs + and—well, I just put it on again. I had it in the bottom of my + trunk, and I guessed you'd like it.” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't know you at first,” he said, and the pleasure in his face was + her reward. + </p> + <p> + The transformation, indeed, was more remarkable than he could have + believed possible, for respectability itself would seem to have been + regained by a costume, and the abundance of her remarkable hair was now + repressed. The absence of paint made her cheeks strangely white, the + hollows under the eyes darker. The eyes themselves alone betrayed the + woman of yesterday; they still burned. + </p> + <p> + “Why,” he exclaimed, looking around him, “you have been busy, haven't + you?” + </p> + <p> + “I've been up since six,” she told him proudly. The flat had been + dismantled of its meagre furniture, the rug was rolled up and tied, and a + trunk strapped with rope was in the middle of the floor. Her next remark + brought home to him the full responsibility of his situation. She led him + to the window, and pointed to a spot among the drenched weeds and rubbish + in the yard next door. “Do you see that bottle? That's the first thing I + did—flung it out there. It didn't break,” she added significantly, + “and there are three drinks in it yet.” + </p> + <p> + Once more he confined his approval to his glance. + </p> + <p> + “Now you must come and have some breakfast,” he said briskly. “If I had + thought about it I should have waited to have it with you.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm not hungry.” In the light of his new knowledge, he connected her + sudden dejection with the sight of the bottle. + </p> + <p> + “But you must eat. You're exhausted from all this work. And a cup of + coffee will make all the difference in the world.” + </p> + <p> + She yielded, pinning on her hat. And he led her, holding the umbrella over + her, to a restaurant in Tower Street, where a man in a white cap and apron + was baking cakes behind a plate-glass window. She drank the coffee, but in + her excitement left the rest of the breakfast almost untasted. + </p> + <p> + “Say,” she asked him once, “why are you doing this?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” he answered, “except that it gives me pleasure.” + </p> + <p> + “Pleasure?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes. It makes me feel as if I were of some use.” + </p> + <p> + She considered this. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” she observed, reviled by the coffee, “you're the queerest minister + I ever saw.” + </p> + <p> + When they had reached the pavement she asked him where they were going. + </p> + <p> + “To see a friend of mine, and a friend of yours,” he told her. “He does + net live far from here.” + </p> + <p> + She was silent again, acquiescing. The rain had stopped, the sun was + peeping out furtively through the clouds, the early loiterers in Dalton + Street stared at them curiously. But Hodder was thinking of that house + whither they were bound with a new gratitude, a new wonder that it should + exist. Thus they came to the sheltered vestibule with its glistening white + paint, its polished name plate and doorknob. The grinning, hospitable + darky appeared in answer to the rector's ring. + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, Sam,” he said; “is Mr. Bentley in?” + </p> + <p> + Sam ushered them ceremoniously into the library, and gate Marcy gazed + about her with awe, as at something absolutely foreign to her experience: + the New Barrington Hotel, the latest pride of the city, recently erected + at the corner of Tower and Jefferson and furnished in the French style, + she might partially have understood. Had she been marvellously and + suddenly transported and established there, existence might still have + evinced a certain continuity. But this house!.. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley rose from the desk in the corner. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it's you, Hodder,” he said cheerfully, laying his hand on the + rector's arm. “I was just thinking about you.” + </p> + <p> + “This is Miss Marcy, Mr. Bentley,” Hodder said. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley took her hand and led her to a chair. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder knows how fond I am of young women,” he said. “I have six of + them upstairs,—so I am never lonely.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley did not appear to notice that her lips quivered. + </p> + <p> + Hodder turned his eyes from her face. “Miss Marcy has been lonely,” he + explained, “and I thought we might get her a room near by, where she might + see them often. She is going to do embroidery.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, Sally will know of a room,” Mr. Bentley replied. “Sam!” he called. + </p> + <p> + “Yessah—yes, Mistah Ho'ace.” Sam appeared at the door. + </p> + <p> + “Ask Miss Sally to come down, if she's not busy.” + </p> + <p> + Kate Marcy sat dumbly in her chair, her hands convulsively clasping its + arms, her breast heaving stormily, her face becoming intense with the + effort of repressing the wild emotion within her: emotion that threatened + to strangle her if resisted, or to sweep her out like a tide and drown her + in deep waters: emotion that had no one mewing, and yet summed up a life, + mysteriously and overwhelmingly aroused by the sight of a room, and of a + kindly old gentleman who lived in it! + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley took the chair beside her. + </p> + <p> + “Why, I believe it's going to clear off, after all,” he exclaimed. “Sam + predicted it, before breakfast. He pretends to be able to tell by the + flowers. After a while I must show you my flowers, Miss Marcy, and what + Dalton Street can do by way of a garden—Mr. Hodder could hardly + believe it, even when he saw it.” Thus he went on, the tips of his fingers + pressed together, his head bent forward in familiar attitude, his face + lighted, speaking naturally of trivial things that seemed to suggest + themselves; and careful, with exquisite tact that did not betray itself, + to address both. A passing automobile startled her with the blast of its + horn. “I'm afraid I shall never get accustomed to them,” he lamented. “At + first I used to be thankful there were no trolley cars on this street, but + I believe the automobiles are worse.” + </p> + <p> + A figure flitted through the hall and into the room, which Hodder + recognized as Miss Grower's. She reminded him of a flying shuttle across + the warp of Mr. Bentley's threads, weaving them together; swift, sure, yet + never hurried or flustered. One glance at the speechless woman seemed to + suffice her for a knowledge of the situation. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder has brought us a new friend and neighbour, Sally,—Miss + Kate Marcy. She is to have a room near us, that we may see her often.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder watched Miss Grower's procedure with a breathless interest. + </p> + <p> + “Why, Mrs. McQuillen has a room—across the street, you know, Mr. + Bentley.” + </p> + <p> + Sally perched herself on the edge of the armchair and laid her hand + lightly on Kate Marcy's. + </p> + <p> + Even Sally Grover was powerless to prevent the inevitable, and the touch + of her hand seemed the signal for the release of the pent-up forces. The + worn body, the worn nerves, the weakened will gave way, and Kate Marcy + burst into a paroxysm of weeping that gradually became automatic, + convulsive, like a child's. There was no damming this torrent, once + released. Kindness, disinterested friendship, was the one unbearable + thing. + </p> + <p> + “We must bring her upstairs,” said Sally Grover, quietly, “she's going to + pieces.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder helping, they fairly carried her up the flight, and laid her on + Sally Grover's own bed. + </p> + <p> + That afternoon she was taken to Mrs. McQuillen's. + </p> + <p> + The fiends are not easily cheated. And during the nights and days that + followed even Sally Grower, whose slight frame was tireless, whose + stoicism was amazing, came out of the sick room with a white face and + compressed lips. Tossing on the mattress, Kate Marcy enacted over again + incident after incident of her past life, events natural to an existence + which had been largely devoid of self-pity, but which now, clearly enough, + tested the extreme limits of suffering. Once more, in her visions, she + walked the streets, wearily measuring the dark, empty blocks, footsore, + into the smaller hours of the night; slyly, insinuatingly, pathetically + offering herself—all she possessed—to the hovering beasts of + prey. And even these rejected her, with gibes, with obscene jests that + sprang to her lips and brought a shudder to those who heard. + </p> + <p> + Sometimes they beheld flare up fitfully that mysterious thing called the + human spirit, which all this crushing process had not served to + extinguish. She seemed to be defending her rights, whatever these may have + been! She expostulated with policemen. And once, when Hodder was present, + she brought back vividly to his mind that first night he had seen her, + when she had defied him and sent him away. In moments she lived over again + the careless, reckless days when money and good looks had not been + lacking, when rich food and wines had been plentiful. And there were other + events which Sally Grower and the good-natured Irishwoman, Mrs. McQuillen, + not holding the key, could but dimly comprehend. Education, environment, + inheritance, character—what a jumble of causes! What Judge was to + unravel them, and assign the exact amount of responsibility? + </p> + <p> + There were other terrible scenes when, more than semiconscious, she cried + out piteously for drink, and cursed them for withholding it. And it was in + the midst of one of these that an incident occurred which made a deep + impression upon young Dr. Giddings, hesitating with his opiates, and + assisting the indomitable Miss Grower to hold his patient. In the midst of + the paroxysm Mr. Bentley entered and stood over her by the bedside, and + suddenly her struggles ceased. At first she lay intensely still, staring + at him with wide eyes of fear. He sat down and took her hand, and spoke to + her, quietly and naturally, and her pupils relaxed. She fell into a sleep, + still clinging to his fingers. + </p> + <p> + It was Sally who opposed the doctor's wish to send her to a hospital. + </p> + <p> + “If it's only a question of getting back her health, she'd better die,” + she declared. “We've got but one chance with her, Dr. Giddings, to keep + her here. When she finds out she's been to a hospital, that will be the + end of it with her kind. We'll never get hold of her again. I'll take care + of Mrs. McQuillen.” + </p> + <p> + Doctor Giddings was impressed by this wisdom. + </p> + <p> + “You think you have a chance, Miss Grower?” he asked. He had had a + hospital experience. + </p> + <p> + Miss Grower was wont to express optimism in deeds rather than words. + </p> + <p> + “If I didn't think so, I'd ask you to put a little more in your hypodermic + next time,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + And the doctor went away, wondering.... + </p> + <p> + Drink! Convalescence brought little release for the watchers. The fiends + would retire, pretending to have abandoned the field, only to swoop down + again when least expected. There were periods of calm when it seemed as + though a new and bewildered personality were emerging, amazed to find in + life a kindly thing, gazing at the world as one new-born. And again, Mrs. + McQuillen or Ella Finley might be seen running bareheaded across the + street for Miss Grower. Physical force was needed, as the rector + discovered on one occasion; physical force, and something more, a + dauntlessness that kept Sally Grower in the room after the other women had + fled in terror. Then remorse, despondency, another fear.... + </p> + <p> + As the weeks went by, the relapses certainly became fewer. Something was + at work, as real in its effects as the sunlight, but invisible. Hodder + felt it, and watched in suspense while it fought the beasts in this woman, + rending her frame in anguish. The frame might succumb, the breath might + leave it to moulder, but the struggle, he knew, would go until the beasts + were conquered. Whence this knowledge?—for it was knowledge. + </p> + <p> + On the quieter days of her convalescence she seemed, indeed, more Madonna + than Magdalen as she sat against the pillows, her red-gold hair lying in + two heavy plaits across her shoulders, her cheeks pale; the inner, + consuming fires that smouldered in her eyes died down. At such times her + newly awakened innocence (if it might be called such—pathetic + innocence, in truth!) struck awe into Hodder; her wonder was matched by + his own. Could there be another meaning in life than the pursuit of + pleasure, than the weary effort to keep the body alive? + </p> + <p> + Such was her query, unformulated. What animated these persons who had + struggled over her so desperately, Sally Grower, Mr. Bentley, and Hodder + himself? Thus her opening mind. For she had a mind. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley was the chief topic, and little by little he became exalted + into a mystery of which she sought the explanation. + </p> + <p> + “I never knew anybody like him,” she would exclaim. + </p> + <p> + “Why, I'd seen him on Dalton Street with the children following him, and I + saw him again that day of the funeral. Some of the girls I knew used to + laugh at him. We thought he was queer. And then, when you brought me to + him that morning and he got up and treated me like a lady, I just couldn't + stand it. I never felt so terrible in my life. I just wanted to die, right + then and there. Something inside of me kept pressing and pressing, until I + thought I would die. I knew what it was to hate myself, but I never hated + myself as I have since then. + </p> + <p> + “He never says anything about God, and you don't, but when he comes in + here he seems like God to me. He's so peaceful,—he makes me + peaceful. I remember the minister in Madison,—he was a putty-faced + man with indigestion,—and when he prayed he used to close his eyes + and try to look pious, but he never fooled me. He never made me believe he + knew anything about God. And don't think for a minute he'd have done what + you and Miss Grower and Mr. Bentley did! He used to cross the street to + get out of the way of drunken men—he wouldn't have one of them in + his church. And I know of a girl he drove out of town because she had a + baby and her sweetheart wouldn't marry her. He sent her to hell. Hell's + here—isn't it?” + </p> + <p> + These sudden remarks of hers surprised and troubled him. But they had + another effect, a constructive effect. He was astonished, in going over + such conversations afterwards, to discover that her questions and his + efforts to answer them in other than theological terms were both + illuminating and stimulating. Sayings in the Gospels leaped out in his + mind, fired with new meanings; so simple, once perceived, that he was + amazed not to have seen them before. And then he was conscious of a + palpitating joy which left in its wake a profound thankfulness. He made no + attempt as yet to correlate these increments, these glimpses of truth into + a system, but stored them preciously away. + </p> + <p> + He taxed his heart and intellect to answer her sensible and helpfully, and + thus found himself avoiding the logic, the Greek philosophy, the outworn + and meaningless phrases of speculation; found himself employing (with + extraordinary effect upon them both) the simple words from which many of + these theories had been derived. “He that hath seen me hath seen the + Father.” What she saw in Horace Bentley, he explained, was God. God wished + us to know how to live, in order that we might find happiness, and + therefore Christ taught us that the way to find happiness was to teach + others how to live,—once we found out. Such was the meaning of + Christ's Incarnation, to teach us how to live in order that we might find + God and happiness. And Hodder translated for her the word Incarnation. + </p> + <p> + Now, he asked, how were we to recognize God, how might we know how he + wished us to live, unless we saw him in human beings, in the souls into + which he had entered? In Mr. Bentley's soul? Was this too deep? + </p> + <p> + She pondered, with flushed face. + </p> + <p> + “I never had it put to me like that,” she said, presently. “I never could + have known what you meant if I hadn't seen Mr. Bentley.” + </p> + <p> + Here was a return flash, for him. Thus, teaching he taught. From this germ + he was to evolve for himself the sublime truth that the world grown + better, not through automatic, soul-saving machinery, but by Personality. + </p> + <p> + On another occasion she inquired about “original sin;”—a phrase + which had stuck in her memory since the stormings of the Madison preacher. + Here was a demand to try his mettle. + </p> + <p> + “It means,” he replied after a moment, “that we are all apt to follow the + selfish, animal instincts of our matures, to get all we can for ourselves + without thinking of others, to seek animal pleasures. And we always suffer + for it.” + </p> + <p> + “Sure,” she agreed. “That's what happened to me.” + </p> + <p> + “And unless we see and know some one like Mr. Bentley,” he went on, + choosing his words, “or discover for ourselves what Christ was, and what + he tried to tell us, we go on 'suffering, because we don't see any way + out. We suffer because we feel that we are useless, that other persons are + doing our work.” + </p> + <p> + “That's what hell is!” She was very keen. “Hell's here,” she repeated. + </p> + <p> + “Hell may begin here, and so may heaven,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “Why, he's in heaven now!” she exclaimed, “it's funny I never thought of + it before.” Of course she referred to Mr. Bentley. + </p> + <p> + Thus; by no accountable process of reasoning, he stumbled into the path + which was to lead him to one of the widest and brightest of his vistas, + the secret of eternity hidden in the Parable of the Talents! But it will + not do to anticipate this matter.... + </p> + <p> + The divine in this woman of the streets regenerated by the divine in her + fellow-creatures, was gasping like a new-born babe for breath. And with + what anxiety they watched her! She grew strong again, went with Sally + Drover and the other girls on Sunday excursions to the country, applied + herself to her embroidery with restless zeal for days, only to have it + drop from her nerveless fingers. But her thoughts were uncontrollable, she + was drawn continually to the edge of that precipice which hung over the + waters whence they had dragged her, never knowing when the vertigo would + seize her. And once Sally Drover, on the alert for just such an + occurrence, pursued her down Dalton Street and forced her back... + </p> + <p> + Justice to Miss Drover cannot be done in these pages. It was she who bore + the brunt of the fierce resentment of the reincarnated fiends when the + other women shrank back in fear, and said nothing to Mr. Bentley or Hodder + until the incident was past. It was terrible indeed to behold this woman + revert—almost in the twinkling of an eye—to a vicious wretch + crazed for drink, to feel that the struggle had to be fought all over + again. Unable to awe Sally Drover's spirit, she would grow piteous. + </p> + <p> + “For God's sake let me go—I can't stand it. Let me go to hell—that's + where I belong. What do you bother with me for? I've got a right.” + </p> + <p> + Once the doctor had to be called. He shook his head but his eye met Miss + Grower's, and he said nothing. + </p> + <p> + “I'll never be able to pull out, I haven't got the strength,” she told + Hodder, between sobs. “You ought to have left me be, that was where I + belonged. I can't stand it, I tell you. If it wasn't for that woman + watching me downstairs, and Sally Grower, I'd have had a drink before + this. It ain't any use, I've got so I can't live without it—I don't + want to live.” + </p> + <p> + And then remorse, self-reproach, despair,—almost as terrible to + contemplate. She swore she would never see Mr. Bentley again, she couldn't + face him. + </p> + <p> + Yet they persisted, and gained ground. She did see Mr. Bentley, but what + he said to her, or she to him, will never be known. She didn't speak of + it.... + </p> + <p> + Little by little her interest was aroused, her pride in her work + stimulated. None was more surprised than Hodder when Sally Grower informed + him that the embroidery was really good; but it was thought best, for + psychological reasons, to discard the old table-cover with its + associations and begin a new one. On occasional evenings she brought her + sewing over to Mr. Bentley's, while Sally read aloud to him and the young + women in the library. Miss Grower's taste in fiction was romantic; her + voice (save in the love passages, when she forgot herself ) sing-song, but + new and unsuspected realms were opened up for Kate Marcy, who would drop + her work and gaze wide-eyed out of the window, into the darkness. + </p> + <p> + And it was Sally who must be given credit for the great experiment, + although she took Mr. Bentley and Hodder into her confidence. On it they + staked all. The day came, at last, when the new table-cover was finished. + Miss Grower took it to the Woman's Exchange, actually sold it, and brought + back the money and handed it to her with a smile, and left her alone. + </p> + <p> + An hour passed. At the end of it Kate Marcy came out of her room, crossed + the street, and knocked at the door of Mr. Bentley's library. Hodder + happened to be there. + </p> + <p> + “Come in,” Mr. Bentley said. + </p> + <p> + She entered, breathless, pale. Her eyes, which had already lost much of + the dissipated look, were alight with exaltation. Her face bore evidence + of the severity of the hour of conflict, and she was perilously near to + tears. She handed Mr. Bentley the money. + </p> + <p> + “What's this, Kate?” he asked, in his kindly way. + </p> + <p> + “It's what I earned, sir,” she faltered. “Miss Grower sold the + table-cover. I thought maybe you'd put it aside for me, like you do for + the others. + </p> + <p> + “I'll take good care of it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, sir, I don't ever expect to repay you, and Miss Grower and Mr. + Hodder! + </p> + <p> + “Why, you are repaying us,” he replied, cutting her short, “you are making + us all very happy. And Sally tells me at the Exchange they like your work + so well they are asking for more. I shouldn't have suspected,” he added, + with a humorous glance at the rector, “that Mr. Hodder knew so much about + embroidery.” + </p> + <p> + He rose, and put the money in his desk,—such was his genius for + avoiding situations which threatened to become emotional. + </p> + <p> + “I've started another one,” she told them, as she departed. + </p> + <p> + A few moments later Miss Grower appeared. + </p> + <p> + “Sally,” said Mr. Bentley, “you're a wise woman. I believe I've made that + remark before. You have managed that case wonderfully.” + </p> + <p> + “There was a time,” replied Miss Grower, thoughtfully, “when it looked + pretty black. We've got a chance with her now, I think.” + </p> + <p> + “I hope so. I begin to feel so,” Mr. Bentley declared. + </p> + <p> + “If we succeed,” Miss Grower went on, “it will be through the heart. And + if we lose her again, it will be through the heart.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder started at this proof of insight. + </p> + <p> + “You know her history, Mr. Hodder?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I don't. And I don't care to. But the way to get at Kate Marcy, + light as she is in some respects, is through her feelings. And she's + somehow kept 'em alive. We've got to trust her, from now on—that's + the only way. And that's what God does, anyhow.” + </p> + <p> + This was one of Miss Grover's rare references to the Deity. + </p> + <p> + Turning over that phrase in his mind, Hodder went slowly back towards the + parish house. God trusted individuals—even such as Kate Marcy. What + did that mean? Individual responsibility! He repeated it. Was the world on + that principle, then? It was as though a search-light were flung ahead of + him and he saw, dimly, a new order—a new order in government and + religion. And, as though spoken by a voice out of the past, there sounded + in his ears the text of that sermon which had so deeply moved him, “I will + arise and go to my Father.” + </p> + <p> + The church was still open, and under the influence of the same strange + excitement which had driven him to walk in the rain so long ago, he + entered and went slowly up the marble aisle. Through the gathering gloom + he saw the figure on the cross. And as he stood gazing at it, a message + for which he had been waiting blazed up within him. + </p> + <p> + He would not leave the Church! + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII. THE RIDDLE OF CAUSATION + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + In order to portray this crisis in the life of Kate Marcy, the outcome of + which is still uncertain, other matters have been ignored. + </p> + <p> + How many persons besides John Hodder have seemed to read—in crucial + periods—a meaning into incidents having all the outward appearance + of accidents! What is it that leads us to a certain man or woman at a + certain time, or to open a certain book? Order and design? or influence? + </p> + <p> + The night when he had stumbled into the cafe in Dalton Street might well + have been termed the nadir of Hodder's experience. His faith had been + blotted out, and, with it had suddenly been extinguished all spiritual + sense, The beast had taken possession. And then, when it was least + expected,—nay, when despaired of, had come the glimmer of a light; + distant, yet clear. He might have traced the course of his + disillusionment, perhaps, but cause and effect were not discernible here. + </p> + <p> + They soon became so, and in the weeks that followed he grew to have the + odd sense of a guiding hand on his shoulder,—such was his + instinctive interpretation of it, rather than the materialistic one of + things ordained. He might turn, in obedience to what seemed a whim, either + to the right or left, only to recognize new blazes that led him on with + surer step; and trivial accidents became events charged with meaning. He + lived in continual wonder. + </p> + <p> + One broiling morning, for instance, he gathered up the last of the books + whose contents he had a month before so feverishly absorbed, and which had + purged him of all fallacies. At first he had welcomed them with a fierce + relief, sucked them dry, then looked upon them with loathing. Now he + pressed them gratefully, almost tenderly, as he made his way along the + shady side of the street towards the great library set in its little park. + </p> + <p> + He was reminded, as he passed from the blinding sunlight into the cool + entrance hall, with its polished marble stairway and its statuary, that + Eldon Parr's munificence had made the building possible: that some day Mr. + Parr's bust would stand in that vestibule with that of Judge Henry + Goodrich—Philip Goodrich's grandfather—and of other men who + had served their city and their commonwealth. + </p> + <p> + Upstairs, at the desk, he was handing in the volumes to the young woman + whose duty it was to receive them when he was hailed by a brisk little man + in an alpaca coat, with a skin like brown parchment. + </p> + <p> + “Why, Mr. Hodder,” he exclaimed cheerfully, with a trace of German accent, + “I had an idea you were somewhere on the cool seas with our friend, Mr. + Parr. He spoke, before he left, of inviting you.” + </p> + <p> + It had been Eldon Parr, indeed, who had first brought Hodder to the + library, shortly after the rector's advent, and Mr. Engel had accompanied + them on a tour of inspection; the financier himself had enjoined the + librarian to “take good care” of the clergyman. Mr. Waring, Mr. Atterbury; + and Mr. Constable were likewise trustees. And since then, when talking to + him, Hodder had had a feeling that Mr. Engel was not unconscious of the + aura—if it may be called such—of his vestry. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Engel picked up one of the books as it lay on the counter, and as he + read the title his face betrayed a slight surprise. + </p> + <p> + “Modern criticism!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “You have found me out,” the rector acknowledged, smiling. + </p> + <p> + “Came into my room, and have a chat,” said the librarian, coaxingly. + </p> + <p> + It was a large chamber at the corner of the building, shaded by awnings, + against which brushed the branches of an elm which had belonged to the + original park. In the centre of the room was a massive oak desk, one whole + side of which was piled high with new volumes. + </p> + <p> + “Look there,” said the librarian, with a quick wave of his hand, “those + are some which came in this week, and I had them put here to look over. + Two-thirds of 'em on religion, or religious philosophy. Does that suggest + anything to you clergymen?” + </p> + <p> + “Do many persons read them, Mr. Engel?” said the rector, at length. + </p> + <p> + “Read them!” cried Mr. Engel, quizzically. “We librarians are a sort of + weather-vanes, if people only knew enough to consult us. We can hardly get + a sufficient number of these new religious books the good ones, I mean—to + supply the demand. And the Lord knows what trash is devoured, from what + the booksellers tell me. It reminds me of the days when this library was + down on Fifth Street, years ago, and we couldn't supply enough Darwins and + Huxleys and Spencers and popular science generally. That was an agnostic + age. But now you'd be surprised to see the different kinds of men and + women who come demanding books on religion—all sorts and conditions. + They're beginning to miss it out of their lives; they want to know. If my + opinion's worth anything, I should not hesitate to declare that we're on + the threshold of a greater religious era than the world has ever seen.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder thrust a book back into the pile, and turned abruptly, with a + manner that surprised the librarian. No other clergyman to whom he had + spoken on this subject had given evidence of this strong feeling, and the + rector of St. John's was the last man from whom he would have expected it. + </p> + <p> + “Do you really think so?” Hodder demanded. + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes,” said Mr. Engel, when he had recovered from his astonishment. + “I'm sure of it. I think clergymen especially—if you will pardon me—are + apt to forget that this is a reading age. That a great many people who + used to get what instruction they had—ahem—from churches, for + instance, now get it from books. I don't want to say anything to offend + you, Mr. Hodder—” + </p> + <p> + “You couldn't,” interrupted the rector. He was equally surprised at the + discovery that he had misjudged Mr. Engel, and was drawn towards him now + with a strong sympathy and curiosity. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” replied Mr. Engel, “I'm glad to hear you say that.” He restrained + a gasp. Was this the orthodox Mr. Hodder of St. John's? + </p> + <p> + “Why,” said Hodder, sitting down, “I've learned, as you have, by + experience. Only my experience hasn't been so hopeful as yours—that + is, if you regard yours as hopeful. It would be hypocritical of me not to + acknowledge that the churches are losing ground, and that those who ought + to be connected with them are not. I am ready to admit that the churches + are at fault. But what you tell me of people reading these books gives me + more courage than I have had for—for some time.” + </p> + <p> + “Is it so!” ejaculated the little man, relapsing into the German idiom of + his youth. + </p> + <p> + “It is,” answered the rector, with an emphasis not to be denied. “I wish + you would give me your theory about this phenomenon, and speak frankly.” + </p> + <p> + “But I thought—” the bewildered librarian began. “I saw you had been + reading those books, but I thought—” + </p> + <p> + “Naturally you did,” said Holder, smiling. His personality, his + ascendency, his poise, suddenly felt by the other, were still more + confusing. “You thought me a narrow, complacent, fashionable priest who + had no concern as to what happened outside the walls of his church, who + stuck obstinately to dogmas and would give nothing else a hearing. Well, + you were right.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, I didn't think all that,” Mr. Engel protested, and his parchment skin + actually performed the miracle of flushing. “I am not so stupid. And once, + long ago when I was young, I was going to be a minister myself.” + </p> + <p> + “What prevented you?” asked Holder, interested. + </p> + <p> + “You want me to be frank—yes, well, I couldn't take the vows.” The + brown eyes of the quiet, humorous, self-contained and dried-up custodian + of the city's reading flamed up. “I felt the call,” he exclaimed. “You may + not credit it to look at me now, Mr. Hodder. They said to me, 'here is + what you must swear to believe before you can make men and women happier + and more hopeful, rescue them from sin and misery!' You know what it was.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder nodded. + </p> + <p> + “It was a crime. It had nothing to do with religion. I thought it over for + a year—I couldn't. Oh, I have since been thankful. I can see now + what would have happened to me—I should have had fatty degeneration + of the soul.” + </p> + <p> + The expression was not merely forcible, it was overwhelming. It brought up + before Holder's mind, with sickening reality, the fate he had himself + escaped. Fatty degeneration of the soul! + </p> + <p> + The little man, seeing the expression on the rector's face, curbed his + excitement, and feared he had gone too far. + </p> + <p> + “You will pardon me!” he said penitently, “I forget myself. I did not mean + all clergymen.” + </p> + <p> + “I have never heard it put so well,” Holder declared. “That is exactly + what occurs in many cases.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it is that,” said Engel, still puzzled, but encouraged, eyeing the + strong face of the other. “And they lament that the ministry hasn't more + big men. Sometimes they get one with the doctrinal type of mind—a + Newman—but how often? And even a Newman would be of little avail + to-day. It is Eucken who says that the individual, once released from + external authority, can never be turned back to it. And they have been + released by the hundreds of thousands ever since Luther's time, are being + freed by the hundreds of thousands to-day. Democracy, learning, science, + are releasing them, and no man, no matter how great he may be, can stem + that tide. The able men in the churches now—like your Phillips + Brooks, who died too soon—are beginning to see this. They are those + who developed after the vows of the theological schools were behind them. + Remove those vows, and you will see the young men come. Young men are + idealists, Mr. Hodder, and they embrace other professions where the mind + is free, and which are not one whit better paid than the ministry. + </p> + <p> + “And what is the result,” he cried, “of the senseless insistence on the + letter instead of the spirit of the poetry of religion? Matthew Arnold was + a thousand times right when he inferred that Jesus Christ never spoke + literally and yet he is still being taken literally by most churches, and + all the literal sayings which were put into his mouth are maintained as + Gospel truth! What is the result of proclaiming Christianity in terms of + an ancient science and theology which awaken no quickening response in the + minds and hearts of to-day? That!” The librarian thrust a yellow hand + towards the pile of books. “The new wine has burst the old skin and is + running all over the world. Ah, my friend, if you could only see, as I do, + the yearning for a satisfying religion which exists in this big city! It + is like a vacuum, and those books are rushing to supply it. I little + thought,” he added dreamily, “when I renounced the ministry in so much + sorrow that one day I should have a church of my own. This library is my + church, and men and women of all creeds come here by the thousands. But + you must pardon me. I have been carried away—I forgot myself.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Engel,” replied the rector, “I want you to regard me as one of your + parishioners.” + </p> + <p> + The librarian looked at him mutely, and the practical, desiccated little + person seemed startlingly transformed into a mediaeval, German mystic. + </p> + <p> + “You are a great man, Mr. Hodder,” he said. “I might have guessed it.” + </p> + <p> + It was one of the moments when protest would have been trite, superfluous. + And Hodder, in truth, felt something great swelling within him, something + that was not himself, and yet strangely was. But just what—in view + of his past strict orthodoxy and limited congregation—Mr. Engel + meant, he could not have said. Had the librarian recognized, without + confession on his part, the change in him? divined his future intentions? + </p> + <p> + “It is curious that I should have met you this morning, Mr. Engel,” he + said. “I expressed surprise when you declared this was a religious age, + because you corroborated something I had felt, but of which I had no + sufficient proof. I felt that a great body of unsatisfied men and women + existed, but that I was powerless to get in touch with them; I had + discovered that truth, as you have so ably pointed out, is disguised and + distorted by ancient dogmas; and that the old Authority, as you say, no + longer carries weight.” + </p> + <p> + “Have you found the new one?” Mr. Engel demanded. + </p> + <p> + “I think I have,” the rector answered calmly, “it lies in personality. I + do not know whether you will agree with me that the Church at large has a + future, and I will confess to you that there was a time when I thought she + had not. I see now that she has, once given to her ministers that freedom + to develop of which you speak. In spite of the fact that truth has + gradually been revealed to the world by what may be called an Apostolic + Succession of Personalities,—Augustine, Dante, Francis of Assisi, + Luther, Shakespeare, Milton, and our own Lincoln and Phillips Brooks,—to + mention only a few,—the Church as a whole has been blind to it. She + has insisted upon putting the individual in a straitjacket, she has never + recognized that growth is the secret of life, that the clothes of one man + are binding on another.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, you are right—a thousand times right,” cried the librarian. + “You have read Royce, perhaps, when he says, 'This mortal shall put on + individuality—'” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the rector, outwardly cool, but inwardly excited by the + coruscation of this magnificent paraphrase of Paul's sentence, by the + extraordinary turn the conversation had taken. “I am ashamed to own that I + have not followed the development of modern philosophy. The books I have + just returned, on historical criticism,” he went on, after a moment's + hesitation, “infer what my attitude has been toward modern thought. We + were made acquainted with historical criticism in the theological + seminary, but we were also taught to discount it. I have discounted it, + refrained from reading it,—until now. And yet I have heard it + discussed in conferences, glanced over articles in the reviews. I had, you + see, closed the door of my mind. I was in a state where arguments make no + impression.” + </p> + <p> + The librarian made a gesture of sympathetic assent, which was also a + tribute to the clergyman's frankness. + </p> + <p> + “You will perhaps wonder how I could have lived these years in an + atmosphere of modern thought and have remained uninfluenced. Well, I have + recently been wondering—myself.” Hodder smiled. “The name of Royce + is by no means unfamiliar to me, and he taught at Harvard when I was an + undergraduate. But the prevailing philosophy of that day among the + students was naturalism. I represent a revolt from it. At the seminary I + imbibed a certain amount of religious philosophy—but I did not + continue it, as thousands of my more liberal fellow-clergymen have done. + My religion 'worked' during the time, at least, I remained in my first + parish. I had no interest in reconciling, for instance, the doctrine of + evolution with the argument for design. Since I have been here in this + city,” he added, simply, “my days have been filled with a continued + perplexity—when I was not too busy to think. Yes, there was an + unacknowledged element of fear in my attitude, though I comforted myself + with the notion that opinions, philosophical and scientific, were in a + state of flux.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” said Mr. Engel, “I comprehend. But, from the manner in which + you spoke just now, I should have inferred that you have been reading + modern philosophy—that of the last twenty years. Ah, you have + something before you, Mr. Hodder. You will thank God, with me, for that + philosophy. It has turned the tide, set the current running the other way. + Philosophy is no longer against religion, it is with it. And if you were + to ask me to name one of the greatest religious teachers of our age, I + should answer, William James. And there is Royce, of whom I spoke,—one + of our biggest men. The dominant philosophies of our times have grown up + since Arnold wrote his 'Literature and Dogma,' and they are in harmony + with the quickening social spirit of the age, which is a religious spirit—a + Christian spirit, I call it. Christianity is coming to its own. These + philosophies, which are not so far apart, are the flower of the thought of + the centuries, of modern science, of that most extraordinary of + discoveries, modern psychology. And they are far from excluding religion, + from denying the essential of Christ's teachings. On the other hand, they + grant that the motive-power of the world is spiritual. + </p> + <p> + “And this,” continued Mr. Engel, “brings me to another aspect of + authority. I wonder if it has struck you? In mediaeval times, when a + bishop spoke ex cathedra, his authority, so far as it carried weight, came + from two sources. First, the supposed divine charter of the Church to save + and damn. That authority is being rapidly swept away. Second, he spoke + with all the weight of the then accepted science and philosophy. But as + soon as the new science began to lay hold on people's minds, as—for + instance—when Galileo discovered that the earth moved instead of the + sun (and the pope made him take it back), that second authority began to + crumble too. In the nineteenth century science had grown so strong that + the situation looked hopeless. Religion had apparently irrevocably lost + that warrant also, and thinking men not spiritually inclined, since they + had to make a choice between science and religion, took science as being + the more honest, the more certain. + </p> + <p> + “And now what has happened? The new philosophies have restored your second + Authority, and your first, as you properly say, is replaced by the + conception of Personality. Personality is nothing but the rehabilitation + of the prophet, the seer. Get him, as Hatch says, back into your Church. + The priests with their sacrifices and automatic rites, the logicians, have + crowded him out. Why do we read the Old Testament at all? Not for the laws + of the Levites, not for the battles and hangings, but for the inspiration + of the prophets. The authority of the prophet comes through personality, + the source of which is in what Myers calls the infinite spiritual world—in + God. It was Christ's own authority. + </p> + <p> + “And as for your other authority, your ordinary man, when he reads modern + philosophy, says to himself, this does not conflict with science? But he + gets no hint, when he goes to most churches, that there is, between the + two, no real quarrel, and he turns away in despair. He may accept the + pragmatism of James, the idealism of Royce, or even what is called neo + realism. In any case, he gains the conviction that a force for good is at + worn in the world, and he has the incentive to become part of it..... But + I have given you a sermon!” + </p> + <p> + “For which I can never be sufficiently, grateful,” said Hodder, with an + earnestness not to be mistaken. + </p> + <p> + The little man's eyes rested admiringly, and not without emotion, on the + salient features of the tall clergyman. And when he spoke again, it was in + acknowledgment of the fact that he had read Hodder's purpose. + </p> + <p> + “You will have opposition, my friend. They will fight you—some + persons we know. They do not wish—what you and I desire. But you + will not surrender—I knew it.” Mr. Engel broke off abruptly, and + rang a bell on his desk. “I will make out for you a list. I hope you may + come in again, often. We shall have other talks,—yes? I am always + here.” + </p> + <p> + Then it came to pass that Hodder carried back with him another armful of + books. Those he had brought back were the Levellers of the False. These + were the Builders of the True. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Hodder had known for many years that the writings of Josiah Royce and of + William James had “been in the air,” so to speak, and he had heard them + mentioned at dinner parties by his more intellectual parishioners, such as + Mrs. Constable and Martha Preston. Now he was able to smile at his former + attitude toward these moderns, whose perusal he had deprecated as treason + to the saints! And he remembered his horror on having listened to a + fellow-clergyman discuss with calmness the plan of the “Varieties of + Religious Experiences.” A sacrilegious dissection of the lives of these + very saints! The scientific process, the theories of modern psychology + applied with sang-froid to the workings of God in the human soul! Science + he had regarded as the proclaimed enemy of religion, and in these days of + the apotheosis of science not even sacred things were spared. + </p> + <p> + Now Hodder saw what the little librarian had meant by an authority + restored. The impartial method of modern science had become so firmly + established in the mind of mankind by education and reading that the + ancient unscientific science of the Roman Empire, in which orthodox + Christianity was clothed, no longer carried authority. In so far as modern + science had discovered truth, religion had no quarrel with it. And if + theology pretended to be the science of religion, surely it must submit to + the test of the new science! The dogged clinging to the archaic + speculations of apologists, saints, and schoolmen had brought religion to + a low ebb indeed. + </p> + <p> + One of the most inspiring books he read was by an English clergyman of his + own Church whom he had formerly looked upon as a heretic, with all that + the word had once implied. It was a frank yet reverent study of the + self-consciousness of Christ, submitting the life and teachings of Jesus + to modern criticism and the scientific method. And the Saviour's divinity, + rather than being lessened, was augmented. Hodder found it infinitely + refreshing that the so-called articles of Christian belief, instead of + being put first and their acceptance insisted upon, were made the climax + of the investigation. + </p> + <p> + Religion, he began to perceive, was an undertaking, are attempt to find + unity and harmony of the soul by adopting, after mature thought, a + definite principle in life. If harmony resulted,—if the principle + worked, it was true. Hodder kept an open mind, but he became a pragmatist + so far. Science, on the other hand, was in a sphere by herself, and need + have no conflict with religion; science was not an undertaking, but an + impartial investigation by close observation of facts in nature. Her + object was to discover truths by these methods alone. She had her + theories, indeed, but they must be submitted to rigorous tests. This from + a book by Professor Perry, an advocate of the new realism. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand there were signs that modern science, by infinitesimal + degrees, might be aiding in the solution of the Mystery.... + </p> + <p> + But religion, Hodder saw, was trusting. Not credulous, silly trusting, but + thoughtful trusting, accepting such facts as were definitely known. Faith + was trusting. And faith without works was dead simply because there could + be no faith without works. There was no such thing as belief that did not + result in act. + </p> + <p> + A paragraph which made a profound impression on Hodder at that time occurs + in James's essay, “Is life worth living?” + </p> + <p> + “Now-what do I mean by I trusting? Is the word to carry with it license to + define in detail an invisible world, and to authorize and excommunicate + those whose trust is different?... Our faculties of belief were not given + us to make orthodoxies and heresies withal; they were given us to live by. + And to trust our religions demands men first of all to live in the light + of them, and to act as if the invisible world which they suggest were + real. It is a fact of human nature that man can live and die by the help + of a sort of faith that goes without a single dogma and definition.” + </p> + <p> + Yet it was not these religious philosophies which had saved him, though + the stimulus of their current had started his mind revolving like a motor. + Their function, he perceived now, was precisely to compel him to see what + had saved him, to reenforce it with the intellect, with the reason, and + enable him to save others. The current set up,—by a thousand + suggestions of which he made notes,—a personal construction, + coordination, and he had the exhilaration of feeling, within him, a + creative process all his own. Behold a mystery 'a paradox'—one of + many. As his strength grew greater day by day, as his vision grew clearer, + he must exclaim with Paul: “Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with + me!” + </p> + <p> + He, Hodder, was but an instrument transmitting power. And yet—oh + paradox!—the instrument continued to improve, to grow stronger, to + develop individuality and personality day by day! Life, present and + hereafter, was growth, development, the opportunity for service in a + cause. To cease growing was to die. + </p> + <p> + He perceived at last the form all religion takes is that of consecration + to a Cause,—one of God's many causes. The meaning of life is to find + one's Cause, to lose one's self in it. His was the liberation of the Word,—now + vouchsafed to him; the freeing of the spark from under the ashes. The + phrase was Alison's. To help liberate the Church, fan into flame the fire + which was to consume the injustice, the tyranny, the selfishness of the + world, until the Garvins, the Kate Marcys, the stunted children, and + anaemic women were no longer possible. + </p> + <p> + It was Royce who, in one illuminating sentence, solved for him the puzzle, + pointed out whence his salvation had come. “For your cause can only be + revealed to you through some presence that first teaches you to love the + unity of the spiritual life... You must find it in human shape.” + </p> + <p> + Horace Bentley! + </p> + <p> + He, Hodder, had known this, but known it vaguely, without sanction. The + light had shone for him even in the darkness of that night in Dalton + Street, when he thought to have lost it forever. And he had awakened the + next morning, safe,—safe yet bewildered, like a half drowned man on + warm sands in the sun. + </p> + <p> + “The will of the spiritual world, the divine will, revealed in man.” What + sublime thoughts, as old as the Cross itself, yet continually and + eternally new! + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + There was still another whose face was constantly before him, and the + reflection of her distressed yet undaunted soul,—Alison Parr. The + contemplation of her courage, of her determination to abide by nothing + save the truth, had had a power over him that he might not estimate, and + he loved her as a man loves a woman, for her imperfections. And he loved + her body and her mind. + </p> + <p> + One morning, as he walked back from Mrs. Bledsoe's through an + unfrequented, wooded path of the Park, he beheld her as he had summoned + her in his visions. She was sitting motionless, gazing before her with + clear eyes, as at the Fates... + </p> + <p> + She started on suddenly perceiving him, but it was characteristic of her + greeting that she seemed to feel no surprise at the accident which had + brought them together. + </p> + <p> + “I am afraid,” he said, smiling, “that I have broken in on some profound + reflections.” + </p> + <p> + She did not answer at once, but looked up at him, as he stood over her, + with one of her strange, baffling gazes, in which there was the hint of a + welcoming smile. + </p> + <p> + “Reflection seems to be a circular process with me,” she answered. “I + never get anywhere—like you.” + </p> + <p> + “Like me!” he exclaimed, seating himself on the bench. Apparently their + intercourse, so long as it should continue, was destined to be on the + basis of intimacy in which it had begun. It was possible at once to be + aware of her disturbing presence, and yet to feel at home in it. + </p> + <p> + “Like you, yes,” she said, continuing to examine him. “You've changed + remarkably.” + </p> + <p> + In his agitation, at this discovery of hers he again repeated her words. + </p> + <p> + “Why, you seem happier, you look happier. It isn't only that, I can't + explain how you impress me. It struck me when you were talking to Mr. + Bentley the other day. You seem to see something you didn't see when I + first met you, that you didn't see the first time we were at Mr. Bentley's + together. Your attitude is fixed—directed. You have made a decision + of some sort—a momentous one, I rather think.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he replied, “you are right. It's more than remarkable that you + should have guessed it.” + </p> + <p> + She remained silent + </p> + <p> + “I have decided,” he found himself saying abruptly, “to continue in the + Church.” + </p> + <p> + Still she was silent, until he wondered whether she would answer him. He + had often speculated to himself how she would take this decision, but he + could make no surmise from her expression as she stared off into the wood. + Presently she turned her head, slowly, and looked into his face. Still she + did not speak. + </p> + <p> + “You are wondering how I can do it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she acknowledged, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “I should like you to know—that is why I spoke of it. You have never + asked me, and I have never told you that the convictions I formerly held I + lost. And with them, for a while, went everything. At least so I + believed.” + </p> + <p> + “I knew it,” she answered, “I could see that, too.” + </p> + <p> + “When I argued with you, that afternoon,—the last time we talked + together alone,—I was trying to convince myself, and you—” he + hesitated, “—that there was something. The fact that you could not + seem to feel it stimulated me.” + </p> + <p> + He read in her eyes that she understood him. And he dared not, nor did he + need to emphasize further his own intense desire that she should find a + solution of her own. + </p> + <p> + “I wish you to know what I am telling you for two reasons,” he went on. + “It was you who spoke the words that led to the opening of my eyes to the + situation into which I had been drifting for two years, who compelled me + to look upon the inconsistencies and falsities which had gradually been + borne in upon me. It was you, I think, who gave me the courage to face + this situation squarely, since you possess that kind of courage yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no,” she cried. “You would have done it anyway.” + </p> + <p> + He paused a moment, to get himself in hand. + </p> + <p> + “For this reason, I owed it to you to speak—to thank you. I have + realized, since that first meeting, that you became my friend then, and + that you spoke as a friend. If you had not believed in my sincerity, you + would not have spoken. I wish you to know that I am fully aware and + grateful for the honour you did me, and that I realize it is not always + easy for you to speak so—to any one.” + </p> + <p> + She did not reply. + </p> + <p> + “There is another reason for my telling you now of this decision of mine + to remain a clergyman,” he continued. “It is because I value your respect + and friendship, and I hope you will believe that I would not take this + course unless I saw my way clear to do it with sincerity.” + </p> + <p> + “One has only to look at you to see that you are sincere,” she said + gently, with a thrill in her voice that almost unmanned him. “I told you + once that I should never have forgiven myself if I had wrecked your life. + I meant it. I am very glad.” + </p> + <p> + It was his turn to be silent. + </p> + <p> + “Just because I cannot see how it would be possible to remain in the + Church after one had been—emancipated, so to speak,”—she + smiled at him,—“is no reason why you may not have solved the + problem.” + </p> + <p> + Such was the superfine quality of her honesty. Yet she trusted him! He was + made giddy by a desire, which he fought down, to justify himself before + her. His eye beheld her now as the goddess with the scales in her hand, + weighing and accepting with outward calm the verdict of the balance .... + Outward calm, but inner fire. + </p> + <p> + “It makes no difference,” she pursued evenly, bent on choosing her words, + “that I cannot personally understand your emancipation, that mine is + different. I can only see the preponderance of evil, of deception, of + injustice—it is that which shuts out everything else. And it's + temperamental, I suppose. By looking at you, as I told you, I can see that + your emancipation is positive, while mine remains negative. You have + somehow regained a conviction that the good is predominant, that there is + some purpose in the universe.” + </p> + <p> + He assented. Once more she relapsed into thought, while he sat + contemplating her profile. She turned to him again with a tremulous smile. + </p> + <p> + “But isn't a conviction that the good is predominant, that there is a + purpose in the universe, a long way from the positive assertions in the + Creeds?” she asked. “I remember, when I went through what you would + probably call disintegration, and which seemed to me enlightenment, that + the Creeds were my first stumbling-blocks. It seemed wrong to repeat + them.” + </p> + <p> + “I am glad you spoke of this,” he replied gravely. “I have arrived at many + answers to that difficulty—which did not give me the trouble I had + anticipated. In the first place, I am convinced that it was much more of a + difficulty ten, twenty, thirty years ago than it is to-day. That which I + formerly thought was a radical tendency towards atrophy, the drift of the + liberal party in my own Church and others, as well as that which I looked + upon with some abhorrence as the free-thinking speculation of many modern + writers, I have now come to see is reconstruction. The results of this + teaching of religion in modern terms are already becoming apparent, and + some persons are already beginning to see that the Creeds express certain + elemental truths in frankly archaic language. All this should be explained + in the churches and the Sunday schools,—is, in fact, being explained + in some, and also in books for popular reading by clergymen of my own + Church, both here and in England. We have got past the critical age.” + </p> + <p> + She followed him closely, but did not interrupt. + </p> + <p> + “I do not mean to say that the Creeds are not the sources of much + misunderstanding, but in my opinion they do not constitute a sufficient + excuse for any clergyman to abandon his Church on account of them. Indeed + there are many who interpret them by modern thought—which is closer + to the teachings of Christ than ancient thought—whose honesty cannot + be questioned. Personally, I think that the Creeds either ought to be + taken out of the service; or changed, or else there should be a note + inserted in the service and catechism definitely permitting a liberal + interpretation which is exactly what so many clergymen, candidly, do now. + </p> + <p> + “When I was ordained a deacon, and then a priest, I took vows which would + appear to be literally conflicting. Compelled to choose between these + vows, I accept that as supreme which I made when I affirmed that I would + teach nothing which I should be persuaded might not be concluded and + affirmed by the Scripture. The Creeds were derived from the Scripture—not + the Scripture from the Creeds. As an individual among a body of Christians + I am powerless to change either the ordinal vows or the Creeds, I am + obliged to wait for the consensus of opinion. But if, on the whole, I can + satisfy my conscience in repeating the Creeds and reading the service, as + other honest men are doing—if I am convinced that I have an obvious + work to do in that Church, it would be cowardly for me to abandon that + work.” + </p> + <p> + Her eyes lighted up. + </p> + <p> + “I see what you mean,” she said, “by staying in you can do many things + that you could not do, you can help to bring about the change, by being + frank. That is your point of view. You believe in the future of the + Church.” + </p> + <p> + “I believe in an universal, Christian organization,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “But while stronger men are honest,” she objected, “are not your ancient + vows and ancient Creeds continually making weaker men casuists?” + </p> + <p> + “Undoubtedly,” he agreed vigorously, and thought involuntarily of Mr. + Engel's phrased fatty degeneration of the soul. “Yet I can see the signs, + on all sides, of a gradual emancipation, of which I might be deemed an + example.” A smile came into his eyes, like the sun on a grey-green sea. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, you could never be a casuist!” she exclaimed, with a touch of + vehemence. “You are much too positive. It is just that note, which is + characteristic of so many clergymen, that note of smoothing-over and + apology, which you lack. I could never feel it, even when you were + orthodox. And now—” words failed her as she inspected his + ruggedness. + </p> + <p> + “And now,” he took her up, to cover his emotion, “now I am not to be + classified!” + </p> + <p> + Still examining him, she reflected on this. + </p> + <p> + “Classified? Isn't it because you're so much of an individual that one + fails to classify you? You represent something new to my experience, + something which seems almost a contradiction—an emancipated Church.” + </p> + <p> + “You imagined me out of the Church,—but where?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “That's just it,” she wondered intimately, “where? When I try, I can see + no other place for you. Your place as in the pulpit.” + </p> + <p> + He uttered a sharp exclamation, which she did not heed. + </p> + <p> + “I can't imagine you doing institutional work, as it is called,—you're + not fitted for it, you'd be wasted in it. You gain by the historic setting + of the Church, and yet it does not absorb you. Free to preach your + convictions, unfettered, you will have a power over people that will be + tremendous. You have a very strong personality.” + </p> + <p> + She set his heart, his mind, to leaping by this unexpected confirmation on + her part of his hopes, and yet the man in him was intent upon the woman. + She had now the air of detached judgment, while he could not refrain from + speculating anxiously on the effect of his future course on her and on + their intimate relationship. He forbore from thinking, now, of the looming + events which might thrust them apart,—put a physical distance + between them,—his anxiety was concerned with the possible snapping + of the thread of sympathy which had bound them. In this respect, he + dreaded her own future as much as his own. What might she do? For he felt, + in her, a potential element of desperation; a capacity to commit, at any + moment, an irretrievable act. + </p> + <p> + “Once you have made your ideas your own,” she mused, “you will have the + power of convincing people.” + </p> + <p> + “And yet—” + </p> + <p> + “And yet”—she seized his unfinished sentence, “you are not at all + positive of convincing me. I'll give you the credit of forbearing to make + proselytes.” She smiled at him. + </p> + <p> + Thus she read him again. + </p> + <p> + “If you call making proselytes a desire to communicate a view of life + which gives satisfaction—” he began, in his serious way. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I want to be convinced!” she exclaimed, penitently, “I'd give + anything to feel as you feel. There's something lacking in me, there must + be, and I have only seen the disillusionizing side. You infer that the + issue of the Creeds will crumble,—preach the new, and the old will + fall away of itself. But what is the new? How, practically, do you deal + with the Creeds? We have got off that subject.” + </p> + <p> + “You wish to know?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I wish to know.” + </p> + <p> + “The test of any doctrine is whether it can be translated into life, + whether it will make any difference to the individual who accepts it. The + doctrines expressed in the Creeds must stand or fall by the test. + Consider, for instance, the fundamental doctrine in the Creeds, that of + the Trinity, which has been much scoffed at. A belief in God, you will + admit, has an influence on conduct, and the Trinity defines the three + chief aspects of the God in whom Christians believe. Of what use to + quarrel with the word Person if God be conscious? And the character of God + has an influence on conduct. The ancients deemed him wrathful, jealous, + arbitrary, and hence flung themselves before him and propitiated him. If + the conscious God of the universe be good, he is spoken of as a Father. He + is as once, in this belief, Father and Creator. And inasmuch as it is + known that the divine qualities enter into man, and that one Man, Jesus, + whose composite portrait—it is agreed—could not have been + factitiously invented, was filled with them, we speak of God in man as the + Son. And the Spirit of God that enters into the soul of man, transforming, + inspiring, and driving him, is the Third Person, so-called. There is no + difficulty so far, granted the initial belief in a beneficent God. + </p> + <p> + “If we agree that life has a meaning, and, in order to conform to the + purpose of the Spirit of the Universe, must be lived in one way, we + certainly cannot object to calling that right way of living, that decree + of the Spirit, the Word. + </p> + <p> + “The Incarnate Word, therefore, is the concrete example of a human being + completely filled with the Spirit, who lives a perfect life according to + its decree. Ancient Greek philosophy called this decree, this meaning of + life, the Logos, and the Nicene Creed is a confession of faith in that + philosophy. Although this creed is said to have been, scandalously forced + through the council of Nicaea by an emperor who had murdered his wife and + children, and who himself was unbaptized, against a majority of bishops + who would, if they had dared Constantine's displeasure, have given the + conscience freer play, to-day the difficulty has, practically disappeared. + The creed is there in the prayer book, and so long as it remains we are at + liberty to interpret the ancient philosophy in which it is written—and + which in any event could not have been greatly improved upon at that time—in + our own modern way, as I am trying to explain it to you. + </p> + <p> + “Christ was identified with the Logos, or Word, which must have had a + meaning for all time, before and after its complete revelation. And this + is what the Nicene Creed is trying to express when it says, 'Begotten of + his Father before all worlds.' In other words, the purpose which Christ + revealed always existed. The awkward expression of the ancients, declaring + that he 'came down' for our salvation (enlightenment) contains a fact we + may prove by experience, if we accept the meaning he put upon existence, + and adopt this meaning as our scheme of life. But we: must first be quite + clear, as: to this meaning. We may and do express all this differently, + but it has a direct bearing on life. It is the doctrine of the + Incarnation. We begins to perceive through it that our own incarnations + mean something, and that our task is to discover what they do mean—what + part in the world purpose we are designed to play here. + </p> + <p> + “Incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary is an emphasis on the fact + that man born of woman may be divine. But the ignorant masses of the + people of the Roman Empire were undoubtedly incapable of grasping a theory + of the Incarnation put forward in the terms of Greek philosophy; while it + was easy for them, with their readiness to believe in nature miracles, to + accept the explanation of Christ's unique divinity as due to actual, + physical generation by the Spirit. And the wide belief in the Empire in + gods born in this way aided such a conception. Many thousands were + converted to Christianity when a place was found in that religion for a + feminine goddess, and these abandoned the worship of Isis, Demeter, and + Diana for that of the Virgin Mary. Thus began an evolution which is still + going on, and we see now that it was impossible that the world should + understand at once the spiritual meaning of life as Christ taught it—that + material facts merely symbolize the divine. For instance, the Gospel of + John has been called the philosophical or spiritual gospel. And in spite + of the fact that it has been assailed and historically discredited by + modern critics, for me it serves to illuminate certain truths of Christ's + message and teaching that the other Gospels do not. Mark, the earliest + Gospel, does not refer to the miraculous birth. At the commencements of + Matthew and Luke you will read of it, and it is to be noted that the rest + of these narratives curiously and naively contradict it. Now why do we + find the miraculous birth in these Gospels if it had not been inserted in + order to prove, in a manner acceptable to simple and unlettered minds, the + Theory of the Incarnation, Christ's preexistence? I do not say the + insertion was deliberate. And it is difficult for us moderns to realize + the polemic spirit in which the Gospels were written. They were clearly + not written as history. The concern of the authors, I think, was to + convert their readers to Christ. + </p> + <p> + “When we turn to John, what do we find? In the opening verses of this + Gospel the Incarnation is explained, not by a virgin birth, but in a + manner acceptable to the educated and spiritually-minded, in terms of the + philosophy of the day. And yet how simply! 'In the beginning was the Word, + and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' I prefer John's + explanation. + </p> + <p> + “It is historically true that, in the earlier days when the Apostles' + Creed was put forth, the phrase 'born of they Virgin Mary' was inserted + for the distinct purpose of laying stress on the humanity of Christ, and + to controvert the assertion of the Gnostic sect that he was not born at + all, but appeared in the world in some miraculous way. + </p> + <p> + “Thus to-day, by the aid of historical research, we are enabled to regard + the Creeds in the light of their usefulness to life. The myth of the + virgin birth probably arose through the zeal of some of the writers of the + Gospels to prove that the prophecy of Isaiah predicted the advent of the + Jewish Messiah who should be born of a virgin. Modern scholars are agreed + that the word Olmah which Isaiah uses does not mean virgin, but young + woman. There is quite a different Hebrew word for 'virgin.' The Jews, at + the time the Gospels were written, and before, had forgotten their ancient + Hebrew. Knowing this mistake, and how it arose, we may repeat the word + Virgin Mary in the sense used by many early Christians, as designating the + young woman who was the mother of Christ. + </p> + <p> + “I might mention one or two other phrases, archaic and obscure. 'The + Resurrection of the Body' may refer to the phenomenon of Christ's + reappearance after death, for which modern psychology may or may not + account. A little reflection, however, convinces one that the phenomenon + did take place in some manner, or else, I think, we should never have + heard of Christ. You will remember that the Apostles fled after his death + on the cross, believing what he had told them was all only a dream. They + were human, literal and cowardly, and they still needed some kind of + inner, energizing conviction that the individuality persisted after death, + that the solution of human life was victory over it, in order to gain the + courage to go out and preach the Gospel and face death themselves. And it + was Paul who was chiefly instrumental in freeing the message from the + narrow bounds of Palestine and sending it ringing down the ages to us. The + miracle doesn't lie in what Paul saw, but in the whole man transformed, + made incandescent, journeying tirelessly to the end of his days up and + down the length and breadth of the empire, labouring, as he says, more + abundantly than they all. It is idle to say that the thing which can + transform a man's entire nature and life is not a reality.” + </p> + <p> + She had listened, motionless, as under the spell of his words. + Self-justification, as he proceeded, might easily have fused itself into a + desire to convince her of the truth of his beliefs. But he was not + deceived, he knew her well enough to understand, to feel the indomitable + spirit of resistance in her. Swayed she could be, but she would mot easily + surrender. + </p> + <p> + “There is another phrase,” she said after a moment, “which I have never + heard explained, 'descended into hell.'” + </p> + <p> + “It was merely a matter of controverting those who declared Christ was + taken from the cross before he died. In the childish science of the time, + to say that one descended into hell was to affirm that he was actually + dead, since the souls of the departed were supposed to go at once to hell. + Hell and heaven were definite places. To say that Christ ascended to + heaven and sat on the right hand of the Father is to declare one's faith + that his responsible work in the spiritual realm continues.” + </p> + <p> + “And the Atonement? doesn't that imply a sacrifice of propitiation?” + </p> + <p> + “Atonement may be pronounced At-one-ment,” Hodder replied. “The old idea, + illustrated by a reference to the sacrifice of the ancients, fails to + convey the truth to modern minds. And moreover, as I have inferred, these + matters had to be conveyed in symbols until mankind were prepared to grasp + the underlying spiritual truths which Christ sought to convey. Orthodox + Christianity has been so profoundly affected by the ancient Jewish + religion that the conception of God as wrathful and jealous—a God + wholly outside—has persisted to our times. The Atonement means union + with the Spirit of the Universe through vicarious suffering, and + experience teaches us that our own sufferings are of no account unless + they be for a cause, for the furtherance of the design of the beneficent + Spirit which is continually at work. Christ may be said to have died for + humanity because he had to suffer death itself in order to reveal the + complete meaning of life. You once spoke to me about the sense of sin—of + being unable to feel it.” + </p> + <p> + She glanced at him quickly, but did not speak. + </p> + <p> + “There is a theory concerning this,” he continued, “which has undoubtedly + helped many people, and which may be found in the writings of certain + modern psychologists. It is that we have a conscious, or lower, human + self, and a subconscious, or better self. This subconscious self stretches + down, as it were, into the depths of the universe and taps the source of + spiritual power. And it is through the subconscious self that every man is + potentially divine. Potentially, because the conscious self has to reach + out by an effort of the will to effect this union with the spiritual in + the subconscious, and when it is effected, it comes from the response of + the subconscious. Apparently from without, as a gift, and therefore, in + theological language, it is called grace. This is what is meant by being + born again, the incarnation of the Spirit in the conscious, or human. The + two selves are no longer divided, and the higher self assumes control,—takes + the reins, so to speak. + </p> + <p> + “It is interesting, as a theory. And the fact that it has been seriously + combated by writers who deny such a function of the subconscious does not + at all affect the reality of the experience. + </p> + <p> + “Once we have had a vision of the true meaning of life a vision which + stirs the energies of our being, what is called 'a sense of sin' + inevitably follows. It is the discontent, the regret, in the light of a + higher knowledge, for the lost opportunities, for a past life which has + been uncontrolled by any unifying purpose, misspent in futile + undertakings, wasted, perhaps, in follies and selfish caprices which have + not only harmed ourselves but others. Although we struggle, yet by habit, + by self-indulgence, by lack of a sustained purpose, we have formed a + character from which escape seems hopeless. And we realize that in order + to change ourselves, an actual regeneration of the will is necessary. For + awhile, perchance, we despair of this. The effort to get out of the rut we + have made for ourselves seems of no avail. And it is not, indeed, until we + arrive, gradually or otherwise, and through a proper interpretation of the + life of Christ, at the conviction that we may even never become useful in + the divine scheme that we have a sense of what is called 'the forgiveness + of sins.' This conviction, this grace, this faith to embark on the + experiment accomplishes of itself the revival of the will, the rebirth + which we had thought impossible. We discover our task, high or humble,—our + cause. We grow marvellously at one with God's purpose, and we feel that + our will is acting in the same direction as his. And through our own + atonement we see the meaning of that other Atonement which led Christ to + the Cross. We see that our conviction, our grace, has come through him, + and how he died for our sins.” + </p> + <p> + “It's quite wonderful how logical and simple you make it, how thoroughly + you have gone into it. You have solved it for yourself—and you will + solve it for others many others.” + </p> + <p> + She rose, and he, too, got to his feet with a medley of feelings. The path + along which they walked was already littered with green acorns. A gray + squirrel darted ahead of them, gained a walnut and paused, quivering, + halfway up the trunk, to gaze back at them. And the glance she presently + gave him seemed to partake of the shyness of the wild thing. + </p> + <p> + “Thank you for explaining it to me,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “I hope you don't think—” he began. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it isn't that!” she cried, with unmistakable reproach. “I asked you—I + made you tell me. It hasn't seemed at all like—the confessional,” + she added, and smiled and blushed at the word. “You have put it so nicely, + so naturally, and you have given me so much to think about. But it all + depends—doesn't it?—upon whether one can feel the underlying + truth of which you spoke in the first place; it rests upon a sense of the + prevailing goodness of things. It seems to me cruel that what is called + salvation, the solution of the problem of life, should depend upon an + accidental discovery. We are all turned loose with our animal passions and + instincts, of self-preservation, by an indifferent Creator, in a + wilderness, and left to find our way out as best we can. You answer that + Christ showed us the way. There are elements in his teaching I cannot + accept—perhaps because I have been given a wrong interpretation of + them. I shall ask you more questions some day. + </p> + <p> + “But even then,” she continued, “granted that Christ brought the complete + solution, as you say, why should so many millions have lived and died, + before and after his coming, who had suffered so, and who had never heard + of him? That is the way my reason works, and I can't help it. I would help + it if I could.” + </p> + <p> + “Isn't it enough,” he asked, “to know that a force is at work combating + evil,—even if you are not yet convinced that it is a prevailing + force? Can you not trust that it will be a prevailing force, if your + sympathies are with it, without demanding a revelation of the entire + scheme of the universe? Of what use is it to doubt the eternal justice?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, use!” she cried, “I grant you its uselessness. Doubt seems an + ingrained quality. I can't help being a fatalist.” + </p> + <p> + “And yet you have taken your life in your own hands,” he reminded her, + gently. + </p> + <p> + “Only to be convinced of its futility,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + Again, momentarily thrust back into himself, he wondered jealously once + more what the disillusionments had been of that experience from before + which she seemed, at times, ready to draw back a little the veil. + </p> + <p> + “A sense of futility is a sense of incompleteness,” he said, “and + generally precedes a sense of power.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, you have gained that! Yet it must always have been latent in you—you + make one feel it. But now!” she exclaimed, as though the discovery had + just dawned on her, “now you will need power, now you will have to fight + as you have never fought in your life.” + </p> + <p> + He found her enthusiasm as difficult to withstand as her stoicism. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I shall have to fight,” he admitted. Her partisanship was sweet. + </p> + <p> + “When you tell them what you have told me,” she continued, as though + working it out in her own mind, “they will never submit to it, if they can + help it. My father will never submit to it. They will try to put you out, + as a heretic,—won't they?” + </p> + <p> + “I have an idea that they will,” he conceded, with a smile. + </p> + <p> + “And won't they succeed? Haven't they the power?” + </p> + <p> + “It depends,—in the first place, on whether the bishop thinks me a + heretic.” + </p> + <p> + “Have you asked him?” + </p> + <p> + “No.” + </p> + <p> + “But can't they make you resign?” + </p> + <p> + “They can deprive me of my salary.” + </p> + <p> + She did not press this. + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't think me a martyr,” he pleaded, in a lighter tone. + </p> + <p> + She paid no heed to this protest, but continued to regard him with a face + lighted by enthusiasm. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that's splendid of you!” she cried. “You are going to speak the truth + as you see it, and let them do their worst. Of course, fundamentally, it + isn't merely because they're orthodox that they won't like it, although + they'll say so, and perhaps think so. It will be because if you have + really found the truth—they will instinctively, fear its release. + For it has a social bearing, too—hasn't it?—although you + haven't explained that part of it.” + </p> + <p> + “It has a distinct social bearing,” he replied, amazed at the way her mind + flew forward and grasped the entire issue, in spite of the fact that her + honesty still refused to concede his premises. Such were the + contradictions in her that he loved. And, though she did not suspect it, + she had in her the Crusader's spirit. “I have always remembered what you + once said, that many who believed themselves Christians had an instinctive + feeling that there is a spark in Christianity which, if allowed to fly, + would start a conflagration beyond their control. And that they had + covered the spark with ashes. I, too,” he added whimsically, “was buried + under the ashes.” + </p> + <p> + “And the spark,” she demanded, “is not Socialism—their nightmare?” + </p> + <p> + “The spark is Christianity itself—but I am afraid they will not be + able to distinguish it from Socialism. The central paradox in Christianity + consists in the harmonizing of the individual and socialistic spirit, and + this removes it as far from the present political doctrine of socialism as + it is possible to be. Christianity, looked at from a certain viewpoint,—and + I think the proper viewpoint,—is the most individualistic of + religions, since its basic principle is the development of the individual + into an autonomous being.” + </p> + <p> + They stood facing each other on an open stretch of lawn. The place was + deserted. Through the trees, in the near distance, the sightless front of + the Ferguson mansion blazed under the September sun. + </p> + <p> + “Individualistic!” she repeated, as though dazed by the word applied to + the religion she had discarded. “I can't understand. Do you think I ever + can understand?” she asked him, simply. + </p> + <p> + “It seems to me you understand more than you are willing to give yourself + credit for,” he answered seriously. “You don't take into account your + attitude.” + </p> + <p> + “I see what you mean—a willingness to take the right road, if I can + find it. I am not at all sure that I want to take it. But you must tell me + more—more of what you have discovered. Will you?” + </p> + <p> + He just hesitated. She herself appeared to acknowledge no bar to their + further intimacy—why should he? + </p> + <p> + “I will tell you all I know,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly, as if by a transference of thought, she voiced what he had in + mind. + </p> + <p> + “You are going to tell them the truth about themselves!” she exclaimed. “—That + they are not Christians!” + </p> + <p> + His silence was an admission. + </p> + <p> + “You must see,” he told her, after the moment they had looked into each + other's faces, “that this is the main reason why I must stay at St. + John's, in the Church, if I conscientiously can.” + </p> + <p> + “I see. The easier course would be to resign, to have scruples. And you + believe there is a future for the Church.” + </p> + <p> + “I believe it,” he assented. + </p> + <p> + She still held his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it is worth doing. If you see it that way it is more worth doing + than anything else. Please don't think,” she said, “that I don't + appreciate why you have told me all this, why you have given me your + reasons. I know it hasn't been easy. It's because you wish me to have + faith in you for my own sake, not for yours. And I am grateful.” + </p> + <p> + “And if that faith is justified, as you will help to justify it, that it + may be transferred to a larger sphere,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + She gave him her hand, but did not reply. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX. MR. GOODRICH BECOMES A PARTISAN + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + In these days of his preparation, she haunted him continually. In her he + saw typified all those who possessed the divine discontent, the yearning + unsatisfied,—the fatalists and the dreamers. And yet she seemed to + have risen through instinct to share the fire of his vision of religion + revealed to the countless ranks of strugglers as the hidden motive-power + of the world, the impetus of scientist, statesman, artist, and + philanthropist! They had stood together on the heights of the larger view, + whence the whole of the battle-line lay disclosed. + </p> + <p> + At other and more poignant moments he saw her as waving him bravely on + while he steamed out through towering seas to safety. The impression was + that of smiling at her destiny. Had she fixed upon it? and did she linger + now only that she might inspire him in his charge? She was capable, he + knew, of taking calmly the irrevocable step, of accepting the decree as + she read it. The thought tortured, the desire to save her from herself + obsessed him; with true clairvoyance she had divined him aright when she + had said that he wished her to have faith in him for her own sake. Could + he save her in spite of herself? and how? He could not see her, except by + chance. Was she waiting until he should have crossed the bar before she + should pay some inexorable penalty of which he knew nothing? + </p> + <p> + Thus he speculated, suffered, was at once cast down and lifted up by the + thought of her. To him, at least, she was one of those rare and dauntless + women, the red stars of history, by whom the Dantes and Leonardos are + fired to express the inexpressible, and common clay is fused and made mad: + one of those women who, the more they reveal, become the more inscrutable. + Divinely inarticulate, he called her; arousing the passion of the man, yet + stirring the sublimer efforts of the god. + </p> + <p> + What her feelings toward him, whether she loved him as a woman loves a man + he could not say, no man being a judge in the supreme instance. She beheld + him emancipated, perhaps, from what she might have called the fetters of + an orthodoxy for which she felt an instinctive antagonism; but whether, + though proclaiming himself free, the fact of his continuation in the + ministry would not of itself set up in her a reaction, he was unable to + predict. Her antipathy to forms, he saw, was inherent. Her interest—her + fascinated absorption, it might be called—in his struggle was + spiritual, indeed, but it also had mixed in it the individualistic zeal of + the nonconformist. She resented the trammels of society; though she + suffered from her efforts to transcend them. The course he had determined + upon appeared to her as a rebellion not only against a cut-and-dried state + of mind, but also against vested privilege. Yet she had in her, as she + confessed, the craving for what privilege brings in the way of harmonious + surroundings. He loved her for her contradictions. + </p> + <p> + Thus he was utterly unable to see what the future held for him in the way + of continued communion with her, to evolve any satisfactory theory as to + why she remained in the city. She had told him that the gardens were an + excuse. She had come, by her own intimation, to reflect, to decide some + momentous question. Marriage? He found this too agitating to dwell upon, + summoning, as it did, conjectures of the men she might have known; and it + was perhaps natural, in view of her attitude, that he could only think of + such a decision on her part as surrender. + </p> + <p> + That he had caught and held her attention, although by no conscious effort + of his own, was clear to him. But had he not merely arrested her? Would + she not presently disappear, leaving only in his life the scarlet thread + which she had woven into it for all time? Would he not fail to change, + permanently, the texture of hers? + </p> + <p> + Such were his hopes and fears concerning her, and they were mingled + inextricably with other hopes and fears which had to do with the great + venture of his life. He dwelt in a realm of paradoxes, discovered that + exaltation was not incompatible with anxiety and dread. He had no thought + of wavering; he had achieved to an extent he would not have believed + possible the sense of consecration which brings with it indifference to + personal fortunes, and the revelation of the inner world, and yet he + shrank from the wounds he was about to receive—and give. Outwardly + controlled, he lived in the state of intense excitement of the leader + waiting for the time to charge. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + The moment was at hand. September had waned, the nights were cooling, his + parishioners were returning from the East. One of these was Eleanor + Goodrich, whom he met on a corner, tanned and revived from her long summer + in Massachusetts. She had inherited the kindly shrewdness of glance + characteristic of gentlefolk, the glance that seeks to penetrate externals + in its concern for the well-being of those whom it scrutinizes. And he was + subtly aware, though she greeted him cordially, that she felt a change in + him without being able to account for it. + </p> + <p> + “I hear you have been here all summer,” she said reproachfully. “Mother + and father and all of us were much disappointed that you did not come to + us on the Cape.” + </p> + <p> + “I should have come, if it had been possible,” he replied. “It seems to + have done you a world of good.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I!” She seemed slightly embarrassed, puzzled, and did not look at + him. “I am burned as disgracefully as Evelyn. Phil came on for a month. + </p> + <p> + “He tells me he hasn't seen you, but that isn't surprising, for he hasn't + been to church since June—and he's a vestryman now, too.” + </p> + <p> + She was in mourning for her father-in-law, who had died in the spring. + Phil Goodrich had taken his place. Eleanor found the conversation, + somehow, drifting out of her control. It was not at all what she would + have desired to say. Her colour heightened. + </p> + <p> + “I have not been conducting the services, but I resume them next Sunday,” + said the rector. “I ought to tell you,” he went on, regarding her, “in + view of the conversation we have had, that I have changed my mind + concerning a great many things we have talked about—although I have + not spoken of this as yet to any of the members of the congregation.” + </p> + <p> + She was speechless, and could only stare at him blankly. + </p> + <p> + “I mean,” he continued, with a calmness that astonished her afterwards, + “that I have changed my whole conception as to the functions and future of + the Church, that I have come to your position, that we must make up our + minds for ourselves, and not have them made up for us. And that we must + examine into the truth of all statements, and be governed accordingly.” + </p> + <p> + Her attitude was one of mingled admiration, concern, and awe. And he saw + that she had grasped something of the complications which his course was + likely to bring about. + </p> + <p> + “But you are not going to leave us!” she managed to exclaim. + </p> + <p> + “Not if it is possible to remain,” he said, smiling. + </p> + <p> + “I am so glad.” She was still overpowered by the disclosure. “It is good + of you to tell me. Do you mind my telling Phil?” + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” he assured her. + </p> + <p> + “Will you forgive me,” she asked, after a slight pause during which she + had somewhat regained her composure, “if I say that I always thought, or + rather hoped you would change? that your former beliefs seemed so—unlike + you?” + </p> + <p> + He continued to smile at her as she stepped forward to take the car. + </p> + <p> + “I'll have to forgive you,” he answered, “because you were right—” + </p> + <p> + She was still in such a state of excitement when she arrived down town + that she went direct to her husband's law office. + </p> + <p> + “I like this!” he exclaimed, as, unannounced, she opened the door of his + sanctuary. “You might have caught me with one of those good-looking + clients of mine.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Phil!” she cried, “I've got such a piece of news, I couldn't resist + coming to tell you. I met Mr. Hodder—and he's changed.” + </p> + <p> + “Changed!” Phil repeated, looking up at her flushed face beside him. + Instead of a law-book, he flung down a time table in which he had been + investigating the trains to a quail shooting club in the southern part of + the state: The transition to Mr. Hodder was, therefore, somewhat abrupt. + “Why, Nell, to look at you, I thought it could be nothing else than my + somewhat belated appointment to the United States Supreme Court. How has + Hodder changed? I always thought him pretty decent.” + </p> + <p> + “Don't laugh at me,” she begged, “it's really serious—and no one + knows it yet. He said I might tell you. Do you remember that talk we had + at father's, when he first came, and we likened him to a modern + Savonarola?” + </p> + <p> + “And George Bridges took the floor, and shocked mother and Lucy and + Laureston,” supplied Phil. + </p> + <p> + “I don't believe mother really was as much shocked as she appeared to be,” + said Eleanor. “At any rate, the thing that had struck us—you and me—was + that Mr. Hodder looked as though he could say something helpful, if he + only would. And then I went to see him afterwards, in the parish house—you + remember?—after we had been reading modern criticism together, and + he told me that the faith which had come down from the fathers was like an + egg? It couldn't be chipped. I was awfully disappointed—and yet I + couldn't help liking him, he was so honest. And the theological books he + gave me to read—which were so mediaeval and absurd! Well, he has + come around to our point of view. He told me so himself.” + </p> + <p> + “But what is our point of view, Nell?” her husband asked, with a smile. + “Isn't it a good deal like Professor Bridges', only we're not quite so + learned? We're just ordinary heathens, as far as I can make out. If Hodder + has our point of view, he ought to go into the law or a trust company.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Phil!” she protested, “and you're on the vestry! I do believe in + Something, and so do you.” + </p> + <p> + “Something,” he observed, “is hardly a concrete and complete theology.” + </p> + <p> + “Why do you make me laugh,” she reproached him, “when the matter is so + serious? What I'm trying to tell you is that I'm sure Mr. Hodder has + worked it out. He's too sincere to remain in the Church and not have + something constructive and satisfying. I've always said that he seemed to + have a truth shut up inside of him which he could not communicate. Well, + now he looks as though he were about to communicate it, as though he had + discovered it. I suppose you think me silly, but you'll grant, whatever + Mr. Hodder may be, he isn't silly. And women can feel these things. You + know I'm not given to sentimentality, but I was never so impressed by the + growth in any personality as I was this morning by his. He seems to have + become himself, as I always imagined him. And, Phil, he was so fine! He's + absolutely incapable of posing, as you'll admit, and he stood right up and + acknowledged that he'd been wrong in our argument. He hasn't had the + services all summer, and when he resumes them next Sunday I gathered that + he intends to make his new position clear.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Goodrich thrust his hands in his pockets and gave a low whistle. + </p> + <p> + “I guess I won't go shooting Saturday, after all,” he declared. “I + wouldn't miss Hodder's sermon for all the quail in Harrington County.” + </p> + <p> + “It's high time you did go to church,” remarked Eleanor, contemplating, + not without pride, her husband's close-cropped, pugnacious head. + </p> + <p> + “Your judgments are pretty sound, Nell. I'll do you that credit. And I've + always owned up that Hodder would be a fighter if he ever got started. + It's written all over him. What's more, I've a notion that some of our + friends are already a little suspicious of him.” + </p> + <p> + “You mean Mr. Parr?” she asked, anxiously. + </p> + <p> + “No, Wallis Plimpton.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” she exclaimed, with disdain in her voice. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr only got back yesterday, and Wallis told me that Hodder had + refused to go on a yachting trip with him. Not only foolishness, but high + treason.” Phil smiled. “Plimpton's the weather-vane, the barometer of that + crowd—he feels a disturbance long before it turns up—he's as + sensitive as the stock market.” + </p> + <p> + “He is the stock market,” said Eleanor. + </p> + <p> + “It's been my opinion,” Phil went on reflectively, “that they've all had + just a trace of uneasiness about Hodder all along, an idea that Nelson + Langmaid slipped up for the first time in his life when he got him to + come. Oh, the feeling's been dormant, but it existed. And they've been + just a little afraid that they couldn't handle him if the time ever came. + He's not their type. When I saw Plimpton at the Country Club the other day + he wondered, in that genial, off-hand manner of his, whether Hodder would + continue to be satisfied with St. John's. Plimpton said he might be + offered a missionary diocese. Oh we'll have a fine old row.” + </p> + <p> + “I believe,” said Eleanor, “that that's the only thing that interests + you.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, it does please me,” he admitted, “when I think of Gordon Atterbury + and Everett Constable and a few others,—Eldon Parr,—who + believe that religion ought to be kept archaic and innocuous, served in a + form that won't bother anybody. By the way, Nell, do you remember the + verse the Professor quoted about the Pharisees, and cleansing the outside + of the cup and platter?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she answered, “why?” + </p> + <p> + “Well—Hodder didn't give you any intimation as to what he intended + to do about that sort of thing, did he?” + </p> + <p> + “What sort of thing?” + </p> + <p> + “About the inside of Eldon Parr's cup,—so to speak. And the inside + of Wallis Plimpton's cup, and Everett Constable's cup, and Ferguson's cup, + and Langmaid's. Did it ever strike you that, in St. John's, we have the + sublime spectacle of Eldon Parr, the Pharisee in chief, conducting the + Church of Christ, who, uttered that denunciation? That's what George + Bridges meant. There's something rather ironical in such a situation, to + say the least.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said Eleanor, thoughtfully. + </p> + <p> + “And what's more, it's typical,” continued Phil, energetically, “the big + Baptist church on the Boulevard is run by old Sedges, as canny a rascal as + you could find in the state. The inside of has cup has never been touched, + though he was once immersed in the Mississippi, they say, and swallowed a + lot of water.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Phil!” + </p> + <p> + “Hodder's been pretty intimate with Eldon Parr—that always puzzled + me,” Phil went on. “And yet I'm like you, I never doubted Hodder's + honesty. I've always been curious to know what would happen when he found + out the kind of thing Eldon Parr is doing every day in his life, making + people stand and deliver in the interest of what he would call National + Prosperity. Why, that fellow, Funk, they sent to the penitentiary the + other day for breaking into the Addicks' house isn't a circumstance to + Eldon Parr. He's robbed his tens of thousands, and goes on robbing them + right along. By the way, Mr. Parr took most of Addicks' money before Funk + got his silver.” + </p> + <p> + “Phil, you have such a ridiculous way of putting things! But I suppose + it's true.” + </p> + <p> + “True! I should say it was! There was Mr. Bentley—that was mild. And + there never was a hold-up of a western express that could compare to the + Consolidated Tractions. Some of these big fellows have the same kind of + brain as the professional thieves. Well, they are professional thieves—what's + the use of mincing matters! They never try the same game twice. Mr. Parr's + getting ready to make another big haul right now. I know, because Plimpton + said as much, although he didn't confide in me what this particular piece + of rascality is. He knows better.” Phil Goodrich looked grim. + </p> + <p> + “But the law?” exclaimed his wife. + </p> + <p> + “There never was a law that Nelson Langmaid couldn't drive a horse and + carriage through.” + </p> + <p> + “And Mr. Langmaid's one of the nicest men I know!” + </p> + <p> + “What I wonder,” mused Phil, “is whether this is a mere doctrinal revolt + on Hodder's part, or whether he has found out a few things. There are so + many parsons in these days who don't seem to see any inconsistency in + robbing several thousand people to build settlement houses and carved + marble altars, and who wouldn't accept a Christmas box from a highwayman. + But I'll do Hodder the justice to say he doesn't strike me as that kind. + And I have an idea that Eldon Parr and Wallis Plimpton and the rest know + he isn't, know that he'd be a Tartar if he ever get started, and that's + what makes them uneasy.” + </p> + <p> + “Then it isn't his change of religious opinions they would care about?” + said Eleanor. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I don't say that Eldon Parr won't try to throw him out if he + questions the faith as delivered by the Saints.” + </p> + <p> + “Phil, what a way of putting it!” + </p> + <p> + “Any indication of independence, any approach to truth would be regarded + as dangerous,” Phil continued. “And of course Gordon Atterbury and others + we could mention, who think they believe in the unchipped egg theory, will + be outraged. But it's deeper than that. Eldon Parr will give orders that + Hodder's to go.” + </p> + <p> + “Give orders?” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly. That vestry, so far as Mr. Parr is concerned, is a mere dummy + board of directors. He's made Langmaid, and Plimpton, and even Everett + Constable, who's the son of an honourable gentleman, and ought to know + better. And he can ruin them by snapping his fingers. He can even make the + financial world too hot for Ferguson. I'll say this for Gordon Atterbury, + that Mr. Parr can't control him, but he's got a majority without him, and + Gordon won't vote for a heretic. Who are left, except father-in-law Waring + and myself?” + </p> + <p> + “He can't control either of you!” said Eleanor, proudly. + </p> + <p> + “When it comes to that, Nell—we'll move into Canada and buy a farm.” + </p> + <p> + “But can he hurt you, Phil—either of you?” she asked, after a + moment. + </p> + <p> + “I'd like to see him try it,” Phil Goodrich declared + </p> + <p> + And his wife thought, as she looked at him, that she would like to see Mr. + Parr try it, too. + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + Phil Goodrich had once said that Mr. Plimpton's translation of the + national motto E pluribus unum, was “get together,” and it was true that + not the least of Mr. Plimpton's many gifts was that of peace making. Such + was his genius that he scented trouble before it became manifest to the + world, and he stoutly declared that no difference of opinion ever existed + between reasonable men that might not be patched up before the breach + became too wide—provided that a third reasonable man contributed his + services. The qualifying word “reasonable” is to be noted. When Mr. Bedloe + Hubbell had undertaken, in the name of Reform, to make a witch's cauldron + of the city's politics, which Mr. Beatty had hitherto conducted so + smoothly from the back room of his saloon, Mr. Plimpton had unselfishly + offered his services. Bedloe Hubbell, although he had been a playmate of + Mr. Plimpton's wife's, had not proved “reasonable,” and had rejected with + a scorn only to be deemed fanatical the suggestion that Mr. Hubbell's + interests and Mr. Beatty's interests need not clash, since Mr. Hubbell + might go to Congress! And Mr. Plimpton was the more hurt since the happy + suggestion was his own, and he had had no little difficulty in getting Mr. + Beatty to agree to it. + </p> + <p> + Yet Mr. Plimpton's career in the ennobling role of peacemaker had, on the + whole, been crowned with such success as to warrant his belief in the + principle. Mr. Parr, for instance,—in whose service, as in that of + any other friend, Mr. Plimpton was always ready to act—had had + misunderstandings with eminent financiers, and sometimes with United + States Senators. Mr. Plimpton had made many trips to the Capitol at + Washington, sometimes in company with Mr. Langmaid, sometimes not, and on + one memorable occasion had come away smiling from an interview with the + occupant of the White House himself. + </p> + <p> + Lest Mr. Plimpton's powers of premonition seem supernatural, it may be + well to reveal the comparative simplicity of his methods. Genius, + analyzed, is often disappointing, Mr. Plimpton's was selective and + synthetic. To illustrate in a particular case, he had met Mr. Parr in New + York and had learned that the Reverend Mr. Hodder had not only declined to + accompany the banker on a yachting trip, but had elected to remain in the + city all summer, in his rooms in the parish house, while conducting no + services. Mr. Parr had thought this peculiar. On his return home Mr. + Plimpton had one day dropped in to see a Mr. Gaines, the real estate agent + for some of his property. And Mr. Plimpton being hale-fellow-well-met, Mr. + Gaines had warned him jestingly that he would better not let his parson + know that he owned a half interest in a certain hotel in Dalton Street, + which was leased at a profitable rate. + </p> + <p> + If Mr. Plimpton felt any uneasiness, he did not betray it. And he managed + to elicit from the agent, in an entirely casual and jovial manner, the + fact that Mr. Hodder, a month or so before, had settled the rent of a + woman for a Dalton Street flat, and had been curious to discover the name + of the owner. Mr. Gaines, whose business it was to recognize everybody, + was sure of Mr. Hodder, although he had not worn clerical clothes. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton became very thoughtful when he had left the office. He + visited Nelson Langmaid in the Parr Building. And the result of the + conference was to cause Mr. Langmaid to recall, with a twinge of + uneasiness, a certain autumn morning in a room beside Bremerton Lake when + he had been faintly yet distinctly conscious of the admonitory whisperings + of that sixth sense which had saved him on other occasions. + </p> + <p> + “Dash it!” he said to himself, after Mr. Plimpton had departed, and he + stood in the window and gazed across at the flag on the roof of + 'Ferguson's.' “It would serve me right for meddling in this parson + business. Why did I take him away from Jerry Whitely, anyhow?” + </p> + <p> + It added to Nelson Langmaid's discomfort that he had a genuine affection, + even an admiration for the parson in question. He might have known by + looking at the man that he would wake up some day,—such was the + burden of his lament. And there came to him, ironically out of the past, + the very words of Mr. Parr's speech to the vestry after Dr. Gilman's + death, that succinct list of qualifications for a new rector which he + himself, Nelson Langmaid, had humorously and even more succinctly + epitomized. Their “responsibility to the parish, to the city, and to God” + had been to find a rector “neither too old nor too young, who would preach + the faith as we received it, who was not sensational, and who did not + mistake Socialism for Christianity.” At the “Socialism” a certain sickly + feeling possessed the lawyer, and he wiped beads of perspiration from his + dome-like forehead. + </p> + <p> + He didn't pretend to be versed in theology—so he had declared—and + at the memory of these words of his the epithet “ass,” self applied, + passed his lips. “You want a parson who will stick to his last, not too + high or too low or too broad or too narrow, who has intellect without too + much initiative... and will not get the church uncomfortably full of + strangers and run you out of your pews.” Thus he had capped the financier. + Well, if they had caught a tartar, it served him, Nelson Langmaid, right. + He recalled his talk with Gerald Whitely, and how his brother-in-law had + lost his temper when they had got on the subject of personality.... + </p> + <p> + Perhaps Wallis Plimpton could do something. Langmaid's hopes of this were + not high. It may have been that he had suspicions of what Mr. Plimpton + would have called Hodder's “reasonableness.” One thing was clear—that + Mr. Plimpton was frightened. In the sanctuaries, the private confessionals + of high finance (and Nelson Langmaid's office may be called so), the more + primitive emotions are sometimes exhibited. + </p> + <p> + “I don't see what business it is of a clergyman, or of any one else, + whether I own property in Dalton Street,” Mr. Plimpton had said, as he sat + on the edge of the lawyer's polished mahogany desk. “What does he expect + us to do,—allow our real estate to remain unproductive merely for + sentimental reasons? That's like a parson, most of 'em haven't got any + more common sense than that. What right has he got to go nosing around + Dalton Street? Why doesn't he stick to his church?” + </p> + <p> + “I thought you fellows were to build him a settlement house there,” + Langmaid observed. + </p> + <p> + “On the condition that he wouldn't turn socialist.” + </p> + <p> + “You'd better have stipulated it in the bond,” said the lawyer, who could + not refrain, even at this solemn moment, from the temptation of playing + upon Mr. Plimpton's apprehensions. “I'm afraid he'll make it his business, + Wallis, to find out whether you own anything in Dalton Street. I'll bet + he's got a list of Dalton Street property in his pocket right now.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton groaned. + </p> + <p> + “Thank God I don't own any of it!” said Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “What the deuce does he intend to do?” the other demanded. + </p> + <p> + “Read it out in church,” Langmaid suggested. “It wouldn't sound pretty, + Wallis, to be advertised in the post on Monday morning as owning that kind + of a hotel.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, he's a gentleman,” said Mr. Plimpton, “he wouldn't do anything as low + as that!” + </p> + <p> + “But if he's become a socialist?” objected Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “He wouldn't do it,” his friend reiterated, none too confidently. “I + shouldn't be surprised if he made me resign from the vestry and forced me + to sell my interest. It nets me five thousand a year.” + </p> + <p> + “What is the place?” Langmaid asked sympathetically, “Harrod's?” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton nodded. + </p> + <p> + “Not that I am a patron,” the lawyer explained somewhat hastily. “But I've + seen the building, going home.” + </p> + <p> + “It looks to me as if it would burn down some day, Wallis.” + </p> + <p> + “I wish it would,” said Mr. Plimpton. + </p> + <p> + “If it's any comfort to you—to us,” Langmaid went on, after a + moment, “Eldon Parr owns the whole block above Thirteenth, on the south + side—bought it three years ago. He thinks the business section will + grow that way.” + </p> + <p> + “I know,” said Mr. Plimpton, and they looked at each other. + </p> + <p> + The name predominant in both minds had been mentioned. + </p> + <p> + “I wonder if Hodder really knows what he's up against.” Mr. Plimpton + sometimes took refuge in slang. + </p> + <p> + “Well, after all, we're not sure yet that he's 'up against anything,'” + replied Langmaid, who thought the time had come for comfort. “It may all + be a false alarm. There's no reason, after all, why a Christian clergyman + shouldn't rescue women in Dalton Street, and remain in the city to study + the conditions of the neighbourhood where his settlement house is to be. + And just, because you or I would not be able to resist an invitation to go + yachting with Eldon Parr, a man might be imagined who had that amount of + moral courage.” + </p> + <p> + “That's just it. Hodder seems to me, now I come to think of it, just the + kind of John Brown type who wouldn't hesitate to get into a row with Eldon + Parr if he thought it was right, and pull down any amount of disagreeable + stuff about our ears.” + </p> + <p> + “You're mixing your heroes, Wallis,” said Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “I can't help it. You'd catch it, too, Nelson. What in the name of sense + possessed you to get such a man?” + </p> + <p> + This being a question the lawyer was unable to answer, the conversation + came to another pause. And it was then that Mr. Plimpton's natural + optimism reasserted itself. + </p> + <p> + “It isn't done,—the thing we're afraid of, that's all,” he + proclaimed, after a turn or two about the room. “Hodder's a gentleman, as + I said, and if he feels as we suspect he does he'll resign like a + gentleman and a Christian. I'll have a talk with him—oh, you can + trust me! I've got an idea. Gordon Atterbury told me the other day there + is a vacancy in a missionary diocese out west, and that Hodder's name had + been mentioned, among others, to the bishops for the place. He'd make a + rattling missionary bishop, you know, holding services in saloons and + knocking men's heads together for profanity, and he boxes like a + professional. Now, a word from Eldon Parr might turn the trick. Every + parson wants to be a bishop.” + </p> + <p> + Langmaid shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “You're getting out of your depths, my friend. The Church isn't Wall + Street. And missionary bishops aren't chosen to make convenient + vacancies.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't mean anything crude,” Mr. Plimpton protested. “But a word from + the chief layman of a diocese like this, a man who never misses a General + Convention, and does everything handsomely, might count,—particularly + if they're already thinking of Hodder. The bishops would never suspect we + wanted to get rid of him.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Langmaid, “I advise you to go easy, all along the line.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I'll go easy enough,” Mr. Plimpton assented, smiling. “Do you + remember how I pulled off old Senator Matthews when everybody swore he was + dead set on voting for an investigation in the matter of those coal lands + Mr. Parr got hold of in his state?” + </p> + <p> + “Matthews isn't Hodder, by a long shat,” said Langmaid. “If you ask me my + opinion, I'll tell you frankly that if Hodder has made up his mind to stay + in St. John's a ton of dynamite and all the Eldon Parrs in the nation + can't get him out.” + </p> + <p> + “Can't the vestry make him resign?” asked Mr. Plimpton, uncomfortably. + </p> + <p> + “You'd better, go home and study your canons, my friend. Nothing short of + conviction for heresy can do it, if he doesn't want to go.” + </p> + <p> + “You wouldn't exactly call him a heretic,” Mr. Plimpton said ruefully. + </p> + <p> + “Would you know a heretic if you saw one?” demanded Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “No, but my wife would, and Gordon Atterbury and Constable would, and + Eldon Parr. But don't let's get nervous.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, that's sensible at any rate,” said Langmaid.... + </p> + <p> + So Mr. Plimpton had gone off optimistic, and felt even more so the next + morning after he had had his breakfast in the pleasant dining room of the + Gore Mansion, of which he was now master. As he looked out through the + open window at the sunshine in the foliage of Waverley Place, the prospect + of his being removed from that position of dignity and influence on the + vestry of St. John's, which he had achieved, with others, after so much + walking around the walls, seemed remote. And he reflected with + satisfaction upon the fact that his wife, who was his prime minister, + would be home from the East that day. Two heads were better than one, + especially if one of the two were Charlotte Gore's. And Mr. Plimpton had + often reflected upon the loss to the world, and the gain to himself, that + she was a woman. + </p> + <p> + It would not be gallant to suggest that his swans were geese. + </p> + <p> + IV + </p> + <p> + The successful navigation of lower Tower Street, at noonday, required + presence of mind on the part of the pedestrian. There were currents and + counter-currents, eddies and backwaters, and at the corner of Vine a + veritable maelstrom through which two lines of electric cars pushed their + way, east and weft, north and south, with incessant clanging of bells; + followed by automobiles with resounding horns, trucks and delivery wagons + with wheels reverberating on the granite. A giant Irish policeman, who + seemed in continual danger of a violent death, and wholly indifferent to + it, stood between the car tracks and halted the rush from time to time, + driving the people like sheep from one side to the other. Through the + doors of Ferguson's poured two conflicting streams of humanity, and + wistful groups of young women, on the way from hasty lunches, blocked the + pavements and stared at the finery behind the plate-glass windows. + </p> + <p> + The rector, slowly making his way westward, permitted himself to be thrust + hither and thither, halted and shoved on again as he studied the faces of + the throng. And presently he found himself pocketed before one of the + exhibits of feminine interest, momentarily helpless, listening to the + admiring and envious chorus of a bevy of diminutive shop-girls on the + merits of a Paris gown. It was at this moment that he perceived, pushing + towards him with an air of rescue, the figure of his vestryman, Mr. Wallis + Plimpton. + </p> + <p> + “Well, well, well!” he cried, as he seized Hodder by the arm and pulled + him towards the curb. “What are you doing herein the marts of trade? Come + right along with me to the Eyrie, and we'll have something, to eat.” + </p> + <p> + The Eyrie was a famous lunch club, of limited membership, at the top of + the Parr Building, where financial affairs of the first importance were + discussed and settled. + </p> + <p> + Hodder explained that he had lunched at half-past twelve. + </p> + <p> + “Well, step into my office a minute. It does me good, to see you again, + upon my word, and I can't let you get by without a little pow-wow.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton's trust company, in Vine Street, resembled a Greek temple. + Massive but graceful granite columns adorned its front, while within it + was partitioned off with polished marble and ornamental grills. In the + rear, guarded by the desks and flanked by the compartments of various + subordinates, was the president's private sanctum, and into this holy of + holies Mr. Plimpton led the way with the simple, unassuming genial air of + the high priest of modern finance who understands men. The room was + eloquent almost to affectation of the system and order of great business, + inasmuch as it betrayed not the least sign of a workshop. On the dark oak + desk were two leather-bound books and a polished telephone. The walls were + panelled, there was a stone fireplace with andirons set, a deep carpet + spread over the tessellated floor, and three leather-padded armchairs, one + of which Mr. Plimpton hospitably drew forward for the rector. He then + produced a box of cigars. + </p> + <p> + “You don't smoke, Mr. Hodder. I always forget. That's the way you manage + to keep yourself in such good shape.” He drew out a gold match box and + seated himself with an air of gusto opposite his guest. “And you haven't + had a vacation, they tell me.” + </p> + <p> + “On the contrary,” said the rector, “McCrae has taken the services all + summer.” + </p> + <p> + “But you've been in the city!” Mr. Plimpton exclaimed, puffing at his + cigar. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I've been in the city.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, well, I'll bet you haven't been idle. Just between us, as friends, + Mr. Hodder, I've often wondered if you didn't work too hard—there's + such a thing as being too conscientious, you know. And I've an idea that + the rest of the vestry think so. Mr. Parr, for instance. We know when + we've got a good thing, and we don't want to wear you out. Oh, we can + appreciate your point of view, and admire it. But a little relaxation—eh? + It's too bad that you couldn't have seen your way to take that cruise—Mr. + Parr was all cut up about it. I guess you're the only man among all of us + fairly close to him, who really knows him well,” said Mr. Plimpton, + admiringly. “He thinks a great deal of you, Mr. Hodder. By the way, have + you seen him since he got back?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” Hodder answered. + </p> + <p> + “The trip did him good. I thought he was a little seedy in the spring—didn't + you? Wonderful man! And when I think how he's slandered and abused it + makes me hot. And he never says anything, never complains, lives up there + all alone, and takes his medicine. That's real patriotism, according to my + view. He could retire to-morrow—but he keeps on—why? Because + he feels the weight of a tremendous responsibility on his shoulders, + because he knows if it weren't for him and men like him upon whom the + prosperity of this nation depends, we'd have famine and anarchy on our + hands in no time. And look what he's done for the city, without + ostentation, mind you! He never blows his own horn-never makes a speech. + And for the Church! But I needn't tell you. When this settlement house and + chapel are finished, they'll be coming out here from New York to get + points. By the way, I meant to have written you. Have our revised plans + come yet? We ought to break ground in November, oughtn't we?” + </p> + <p> + “I intend to lay my views on that matter before the vestry at the next + meeting, the rector said. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” declared Mr. Plimpton, after a scarcely perceptible pause, “I've + no doubt they'll be worth listening to. If I were to make a guess,” he + continued, with a contemplative smile, blowing a thin stream of smoke + towards the distant ceiling, “I should bet that you have spent your summer + looking over the ground. I don't say that you have missed your vocation, + Mr. Hodder, but I don't mind telling you that for a clergyman, for a man + absorbed in spiritual matters, a man who can preach the sermons you + preach, you've got more common-sense and business thoroughness than any + one I have ever run across in your profession.” + </p> + <p> + “Looking over the ground?” Hodder repeated, ignoring the compliment. + </p> + <p> + “Sure,” said Mr. Plimpton, smiling more benignly than ever. “You mustn't + be modest about it. Dalton Street. And when that settlement house is + built, I'll guarantee it will be run on a business basis. No nonsense.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean by nonsense?” Hodder asked. He did not make the question + abrupt, and there was even the hint of a smile in his eyes, which Mr. + Plimpton found the more disquieting. + </p> + <p> + “Why, that's only a form of speech. I mean you'll be practical, efficient, + that you'll get hold of the people of that neighbourhood and make 'em see + that the world isn't such a bad place after all, make 'em realize that we + in St. John's want to help 'em out. That you won't make them more + foolishly discontented than they are, and go preaching socialism to them.” + </p> + <p> + “I have no intention of preaching socialism,” said Hodder. But he laid a + slight emphasis on the word which sent a cold shiver down Mr. Plimpton's + spine, and made him wonder whether there might not be something worse than + socialism. + </p> + <p> + “I knew you wouldn't,” he declared, with all the heartiness he could throw + into his voice. “I repeat, you're a practical, sensible man. I'll yield to + none in my belief in the Church as a moral, uplifting, necessary spiritual + force in our civilization, in my recognition of her high ideals, but we + business men, Mr. Hodder,—as—I am sure you must agree,—have + got to live, I am sorry to say, on a lower plane. We've got to deal with + the world as we find it, and do our little best to help things along. We + can't take the Gospel literally, or we should all be ruined in a day, and + swamp everybody else. You understand me? + </p> + <p> + “I understand you,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton's cigar had gone out. In spite of himself, he had slipped + from the easy-going, casual tone into one that was becoming persuasive, + apologetic, strenuous. Although the day was not particularly warm, he + began to perspire a little; and he repeated the words over to himself, “I + understand you.” What the deuce did the rector know? He had somehow the + air of knowing everything—more than Mr. Plimpton did. And Mr. + Plimpton was beginning to have the unusual and most disagreeable feeling + of having been weighed in the balance and found wanting. He glanced at his + guest, who sat quite still, the head bent a trifle, the disturbing gray + eyes fixed contemplatively an him—accusingly. And yet the accusation + did not seem personal with the clergyman, whose eyes were nearly the + medium, the channels of a greater, an impersonal Ice. It was true that the + man had changed. He was wholly baffling to Mr. Plimpton, whose sense of + alarm increased momentarily into an almost panicky feeling as he + remembered what Langmaid had said. Was this inscrutable rector of St. + John's gazing, knowingly, at the half owner of Harrods Hotel in Dalton + Street, who couldn't take the Gospel literally? There was evidently no way + to find out at once, and suspense would be unbearable, in vain he told + himself that these thoughts were nonsense, the discomfort persisted, and + he had visions of that career in which he had become one of the first + citizens and the respected husband of Charlotte Gore clashing down about + his ears. Why? Because a clergyman should choose to be quixotic, + fanatical? He did not took quixotic, fanatical, Mr. Plimpton had to admit,—but + a good deal saner than he, Mr. Plimpton, must have appeared at that + moment. His throat was dry, and he didn't dare to make the attempt to + relight his cigar. + </p> + <p> + “There's nothing like getting together—keeping in touch with people, + Mr. Hodder,” he managed to say. “I've been out of town a good deal this + summer—putting on a little flesh, I'm sorry to admit. But I've been + meaning to drop into the parish house and talk over those revised plans + with you. I will drop in—in a day or two. I'm interested in the + work, intensely interested, and so is Mrs. Plimpton. She'll help you. I'm + sorry you can't lunch with me.” + </p> + <p> + He had the air, now, of the man who finds himself disagreeably and + unexpectedly closeted with a lunatic; and his language, although he sought + to control it, became even a trifle less coherent. + </p> + <p> + “You must make allowances for us business men, Mr. Hodder. I mean, of + course, we're sometimes a little lax in our duties—in the summer, + that is. Don't shoot the pianist, he's doing his—ahem! You know the + story. + </p> + <p> + “By the way, I hear great things of you; I'm told it's on the cards that + you're to be made a bishop.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh,” answered the rector, “there are better men mentioned than I!” + </p> + <p> + “I want you to know this,” said his vestryman, as he seized Hodder's hand, + “much as we value you here, bitterly as we should hate to lose you, none + of us, I am sure, would stand in the way of such a deserved advancement.” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, Mr. Plimpton,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton watched the vigorous form striding through the great chamber + until it disappeared. Then he seized his hat and made his way as rapidly + as possible through the crowds to the Parr Building. At the entrance of + the open-air roof garden of the Eyrie he ran into Nelson Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “You're the very man I'm after,” said Mr. Plimpton, breathlessly. “I + stopped in your office, and they said you'd gone up.” + </p> + <p> + “What's the matter, Wallis?” inquired the lawyer, tranquilly. “You look as + if you'd lost a couple of bonds.” + </p> + <p> + “I've just seen Hodder, and he is going to do it.” + </p> + <p> + “Do what?” + </p> + <p> + “Sit down here, at this table in the corner, and I'll tell you.” + </p> + <p> + For a practical man, it must be admitted that Mr. Plimpton had very little + of the concrete to relate. And it appeared on cross-examination by Mr. + Langmaid, who ate his cold meat and salad with an exasperating and + undiminished appetite—that the only definite thing the rector had + said was that he didn't intend to preach socialism. This was reassuring. + </p> + <p> + “Reassuring!” exclaimed Mr. Plimpton, whose customary noonday hunger was + lacking, “I wish you could have heard him say it!” + </p> + <p> + “The wicked,” remarked the lawyer, “flee when no man pursueth. Don't shoot + the pianist!” Langmaid set down his beer, and threw back his head and + laughed. “If I were the Reverend Mr. Hodder, after such an exhibition as + you gave, I should immediately have suspected the pianist of something, + and I should have gone off by myself and racked my brains and tried to + discover what it was. He's a clever man, and if he hasn't got a list of + Dalton Street property now he'll have one by to-morrow, and the story of + some of your transactions with Tom Beatty and the City Council.” + </p> + <p> + “I believe you'd joke in the electric chair,” said Mr. a Plimpton, + resentfully. “I'll tell you this,—and my experience backs me up,—if + you can't get next to a man by a little plain talk, he isn't safe. I + haven't got the market sense for nothing, and I'll give you this tip, + Nelson,—it's time to stand from under. Didn't I warn you fellows + that Bedloe Hubbell meant business long before he started in? and this + parson can give Hubbell cards and spades. Hodder can't see this thing as + it is. He's been thinking, this summer. And a man of that kind is + downright dangerous when he begins to think. He's found out things, and + he's put two and two together, and he's the uncompromising type. He has a + notion that the Gospel can be taken literally, and I could feel all the + time I was talking to him he thought I was a crook.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps he was right,” observed the lawyer. + </p> + <p> + “That comes well from you,” Mr. Plimpton retorted. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I'm a crook, too,” said Langmaid. “I discovered it some time ago. The + difference between you and me, Wallis, is that I am willing to acknowledge + it, and you're not. The whole business world, as we know it, is crooked, + and if we don't cut other people's throats, they'll cut ours.” + </p> + <p> + “And if we let go, what would happen to the country?” his companion + demanded. + </p> + <p> + Langmaid began to shake with silent laughter. + </p> + <p> + “Your solicitude about the country, Wallis, is touching. I was brought up + to believe that patriotism had an element of sacrifice in it, but I can't + see ours. And I can't imagine myself, somehow, as a Hercules bearing the + burden of our Constitution. From Mr. Hodder's point of view, perhaps,—and + I'm not sure it isn't the right one, the pianist is doing his damnedest, + to the tune of—Dalton Street. We might as well look this thing in + the face, my friend. You and I really don't believe in another world, or + we shouldn't be taking so much trouble to make this one as we'd like to + have it.” + </p> + <p> + “I never expected to hear you talk this way,” said Mr. Plimpton. + </p> + <p> + “Well, it's somewhat of a surprise to me,” the lawyer admitted. + </p> + <p> + “And I don't think you put it fairly,” his friend contended. “I never can + tell when you are serious, but this is damned serious. In business we have + to deal with crooks, who hold us up right and left, and if we stood back + you know as well as I do that everything would go to pot. And if we let + the reformers have their way the country would be bedlam. We'd have + anarchy and bloodshed, revolution, and the people would be calling us, the + strong men, back in no time. You can't change human nature. And we have a + sense of responsibility—we support law and order and the Church, and + found institutions, and give millions away in charity.” + </p> + <p> + The big lawyer listened to this somewhat fervent defence of his order with + an amused smile, nodding his head slightly from side to side. + </p> + <p> + “If you don't believe in it,” demanded Mr. Plimpton, “why the deuce don't + you drop it?” + </p> + <p> + “It's because of my loyalty,” said Langmaid. “I wouldn't desert my pals. I + couldn't bear, Wallis, to see you go to the guillotine without me.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Plimpton became unpleasantly silent. + </p> + <p> + “Well, you may think it's a joke,” he resumed, after a moment, “but there + will be a guillotine if we don't look out. That confounded parson is + getting ready to spring something, and I'm going to give Mr. Parr a tip. + He'll know how to handle him. He doesn't talk much, but I've got an idea, + from one or two things he let drop, that he's a little suspicious of a + change in Hodder. But he ought to be waived.” + </p> + <p> + “You're in no condition to talk to Mr. Parr, or to anyone else, except + your wife, Walks,” Langmaid said. “You'd better go home, and let me see + Mr. Parr. I'm responsible for Mr. Hodder, anyway.” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” Mr. Plimpton agreed, as though he had gained some shred of + comfort from this thought. “I guess you're in worse than any of us.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0026" id="link2H_4_0026"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 6. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX. THE ARRAIGNMENT + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Looking backward, Hodder perceived that he had really come to the + momentous decision of remaining at St. John's in the twilight of an + evening when, on returning home from seeing Kate Marcy at Mr. Bentley's he + had entered the darkening church. It was then that his mission had + appeared to him as a vision. Every day, afterward, his sense and knowledge + of this mission had grown stronger. + </p> + <p> + To his mind, not the least of the trials it was to impose upon him, and + one which would have to be dealt with shortly, was a necessary talk with + his assistant, McCrae. If their relationship had from the beginning been + unusual and unsatisfactory, adjectives would seem to defy what it had + become during the summer. What did McCrae think of him? For Hodder had, it + will be recalled, bidden his assistant good-by—and then had + remained. At another brief interview, during which McCrae had betrayed no + surprise, uttered no censure or comment, Hodder had announced his + determination to remain in the city, and to take no part in the services. + An announcement sufficiently astounding. During the months that followed, + they had met, at rare intervals, exchanged casual greetings, and passed + on. And yet Hodder had the feeling, more firmly planted than ever, that + McCrae was awaiting, with an interest which might be called suspense, the + culmination of the process going on within him. + </p> + <p> + Well, now that he had worked it out, now that he had reached his decision, + it was incumbent upon him to tell his assistant what that decision was. + Hodder shrank from it as from an ordeal. His affection for the man, his + admiration for McCrae's faithful, untiring, and unrecognized services had + deepened. He had a theory that McCrae really liked him—would even + sympathize with his solution; yet he procrastinated. He was afraid to put + his theory to the test. It was not that Hodder feared that his own + solution was not the right one, but that McCrae might not find it so: he + was intensely concerned that it should also be McCrae's solution—the + answer, if one liked, to McCrae's mute and eternal questionings. He wished + to have it a fruition for McCrae as well as for himself; since + theoretically, at least, he had pierced the hard crust of his assistant's + exterior, and conceived him beneath to be all suppressed fire. In short, + Hodder wished to go into battle side by side with McCrae. Therein lay his + anxiety. + </p> + <p> + Another consideration troubled him—McCrae's family, dependent on a + rather meagre salary. His assistant, in sustaining him in the struggle he + meant to enter, would be making even a greater sacrifice than himself. For + Hodder had no illusions, and knew that the odds against him were + incalculable. Whatever, if defeated, his own future might be, McCrae's was + still more problematical and tragic. + </p> + <p> + The situation, when it came, was even more difficult than Hodder had + imagined it, since McCrae was not a man to oil the wheels of conversation. + In silence he followed the rector up the stairs and into his study, in + silence he took the seat at the opposite side of the table. And Hodder, as + he hesitated over his opening, contemplated in no little perplexity and + travail the gaunt and non-committal face before him: + </p> + <p> + “McCrae,” he began at length, “you must have thought my conduct this + summer most peculiar. I wish to thank you, first of all, for the + consideration you have shown me, and to tell you how deeply I appreciate + your taking the entire burden of the work of the parish.” + </p> + <p> + McCrae shook his head vigorously, but did not speak. + </p> + <p> + “I owe it to you to give you some clew to what happened to me,” the rector + continued, “although I have an idea that you do not need much + enlightenment on this matter. I have a feeling that you have somehow been + aware of my discouragement during the past year or so, and of the causes + of it. You yourself hold ideals concerning the Church which you have not + confided to me. Of this I am sure. I came here to St. John's full of hope + and confidence, gradually to lose both, gradually to realise that there + was something wrong with me, that in spite of all my efforts I was unable + to make any headway in the right direction. I became perplexed, + dissatisfied—the results were so meagre, so out of proportion to the + labour. And the very fact that those who may be called our chief + parishioners had no complaint merely added to my uneasiness. That kind of + success didn't satisfy me, and I venture to assume it didn't satisfy you.” + </p> + <p> + Still McCrae made no sign. + </p> + <p> + “Finally I came to what may be termed a double conclusion. In the first + place, I began to see more and more clearly that our modern civilization + is at fault, to perceive how completely it is conducted on the + materialistic theory of the survival of the fittest rather than that of + the brotherhood of man, and that those who mainly support this church are, + consciously or not, using it as a bulwark for the privilege they have + gained at the expense of their fellow-citizens. And my conclusion was that + Christianity must contain some vital germ which I had somehow missed, and + which I must find if I could, and preach and release it. That it was the + release of this germ these people feared unconsciously. I say to you, at + the risk of the accusation of conceit, that I believed myself to have a + power in the pulpit if I could only discover the truth.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder thought he detected, as he spoke these words, a certain relaxation + of the tension. + </p> + <p> + “For a while, as the result of discouragement, of cowardice, I may say, of + the tearing-down process of the theological structure—built of + debris from many ruins on which my conception of Christianity rested, I + lost all faith. For many weeks I did not enter the church, as you yourself + must know. Then, when I had given up all hope, through certain incidents + and certain persona, a process of reconstruction began. In short, through + no virtue which I can claim as my own, I believe I have arrived at the + threshold of an understanding of Christianity as our Lord taught it and + lived it. And I intend to take the pulpit and begin to preach it. + </p> + <p> + “I am deeply concerned in regard to yourself as to what effect my course + may have on you. And I am not you to listen to me with a view that you + should see your way clear to support me McCrae, but rather that you should + be fully apprised of my new belief and intentions. I owe this to you, for + your loyal support in the pest. I shall go over with you, later, if you + care to listen, my whole position. It may be called the extreme Protestant + position, and I use protestant, for want of a better word, to express what + I believe is Paul's true as distinguished from the false of his two + inconsistent theologies. It was this doctrine of Paul's of redemption by + faith, of reacting grace by an inevitable spiritual law—of rebirth, + if you will—that Luther and the Protestant reformers revived and + recognized, rightly, as the vital element of Christ's teachings, although + they did not succeed in separating it wholly from the dross which clung to + it. It is the leaven which has changed governments, and which in the end, + I am firmly convinced, will make true democracy inevitable. And those who + oppose democracy inherently dread its workings. + </p> + <p> + “I do not know your views, but it is only fair to add at this time that I + no longer believe in the external and imposed authority of the Church in + the sense in which I formerly accepted it, nor in the virgin birth, nor in + certain other dogmas in which I once acquiesced. Other clergymen of our + communion have proclaimed, in speech and writing, their disbelief in these + things. I have satisfied my conscience as they have, and I mean to make no + secret of my change. I am convinced that not one man or woman in ten + thousand to-day who has rejected Christianity ever knew what Christianity + is. The science and archaic philosophy in which Christianity has been + swaddled and hampered is discredited, and the conclusion is drawn that + Christianity itself must be discredited.” + </p> + <p> + “Ye're going to preach all this?” McCrae demanded, almost fiercely. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” Hodder replied, still uncertain as to his assistant's attitude, + “and more. I have fully reflected, and I am willing to accept all the + consequences. I understand perfectly, McCrae, that the promulgation alone + of the liberal orthodoxy of which I have spoken will bring me into + conflict with the majority of the vestry and the congregation, and that + the bishop will be appealed to. They will say, in effect, that I have + cheated them, that they hired one man and that another has turned up, whom + they never would have hired. But that won't be the whole story. If it were + merely a question of doctrine, I should resign. It's deeper than that, + more sinister.” Hodder doubled up his hand, and laid it on the table. + “It's a matter,” he said, looking into McCrae's eyes, “of freeing this + church from those who now hold it in chains. And the two questions, I see + clearly now, the doctrinal and the economic, are so interwoven as to be + inseparable. My former, ancient presentation of Christianity left men and + women cold. It did not draw them into this church and send them out again + fired with the determination to bring religion into everyday life, + resolved to do their part in the removal of the injustices and cruelties + with which we are surrounded, to bring Christianity into government, where + it belongs. Don't misunderstand me I'm not going to preach politics, but + religion.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't misunderstand ye,” answered McCrae. He leaned a little forward, + staring at the rector from behind his steel spectacles with a glance which + had become piercing. + </p> + <p> + “And I am going to discourage a charity which is a mockery of + Christianity,” Hodder went on, “the spectacle of which turns thousands of + men and women in sickening revolt against the Church of Christ to-day. I + have discovered, at last, how some of these persons have made their money, + and are making it. And I am going to let them know, since they have + repudiated God in their own souls, since they have denied the Christian + principle of individual responsibility, that I, as the vicar of God, will + not be a party to the transaction of using the Church as a means of doling + out ill-gotten gains to the poor.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr!” McCrae exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the rector, slowly, and with a touch of sadness, “since you + have mentioned him, Mr. Parr. But I need not say that this must go no + farther. I am in possession of definite facts in regard to Mr. Parr which + I shall present to him when he returns.” + </p> + <p> + “Ye'll tell him to his face?” + </p> + <p> + “It is the only way.” + </p> + <p> + McCrae had risen. A remarkable transformation had come over the man,—he + was reminiscent, at that moment, of some Covenanter ancestor going into + battle. And his voice shook with excitement. + </p> + <p> + “Ye may count on me, Mr. Hodder,” he cried. “These many years I've waited, + these many years I've seen what ye see now, but I was not the man. Aye, + I've watched ye, since the day ye first set foot in this church. I knew + what was going on inside of ye, because it was just that I felt myself. I + hoped—I prayed ye might come to it.” + </p> + <p> + The sight of this taciturn Scotchman, moved in this way, had an + extraordinary effect on Hodder himself, and his own emotion was so + inexpressibly stirred that he kept silence a moment to control it. This + proof of the truth of his theory in regard to McCrae he found + overwhelming. + </p> + <p> + “But you said nothing, McCrae,” he began presently. “I felt all along that + you knew what was wrong—if you had only spoken.” + </p> + <p> + “I could not,” said McCrae. “I give ye my word I tried, but I just could + not. Many's the time I wanted to—but I said to myself, when I looked + at you, 'wait, it will come, much better than ye can say it.' And ye have + made me see more than I saw, Mr. Hodder,—already ye have. Ye've got + the whole thing in ye're eye, and I only had a part of it. It's because + ye're the bigger man of the two.” + </p> + <p> + “You thought I'd come to it?” demanded Hodder, as though the full force of + this insight had just struck him. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said McCrae, “I hoped. It seemed, to look at ye, ye'r true nature—what + was by rights inside of ye. That's the best explaining I can do. And I + call to mind that time ye spoke about not making the men in the classes + Christians—that was what started me to thinking.” + </p> + <p> + “And you asked me,” returned the rector, “how welcome some of them would + be in Mr. Parr's Pew.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, it worried me,” declared the assistant, with characteristic + frankness, “to see how deep ye were getting in with him.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not reply to this. He had himself risen, and stood looking at + McCrae, filled with a new thought. + </p> + <p> + “There is one thing I should like to say to you—which is very + difficult, McCrae, but I have no doubt you see the matter as clearly as I + do. In making this fight, I have no one but myself to consider. I am a + single man—” + </p> + <p> + “Yell not need to go on,” answered McCrae, with an odd mixture of + sternness and gentleness in his voice. “I'll stand and fall with ye, Mr. + Hodder. Before I ever thought of the Church I learned a trade, as a boy in + Scotland. I'm not a bad carpenter. And if worse comes to worse, I've an + idea I can make as much with my hands as I make in the ministry.” + </p> + <p> + The smile they exchanged across the table sealed the compact between them. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + The electric car which carried him to his appointment with the financier + shot westward like a meteor through the night. And now that the hour was + actually at hand, it seemed to Hodder that he was absurdly unprepared to + meet it. New and formidable aspects, hitherto unthought of, rose in his + mind, and the figure of Eldon Parr loomed to Brobdingnagian proportions as + he approached it. In spite of his determination, the life-blood of his + confidence ebbed, a sense of the power and might of the man who had now + become his adversary increased; and that apprehension of the impact of the + great banker's personality, the cutting edge with the vast achievements + wedged in behind it, each adding weight and impetus to its momentum the + apprehension he had felt in less degree on the day of the first meeting, + and which had almost immediately evaporated—surged up in him now. + His fear was lest the charged atmosphere of the banker's presence might + deflect his own hitherto clear perception of true worth. He dreaded, once + in the midst of those disturbing currents, a bungling presentation of the + cause which inspired him, and which he knew to be righteousness itself. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly his mood shifted, betraying still another weakness, and he saw + Eldon Parr, suddenly, vividly—more vividly, indeed, than ever before—in + the shades of the hell of his loneliness. And pity welled up, drowning the + image of incarnate greed and selfishness and lust for wealth and power: + The unique pathos of his former relationship with the man reasserted + itself, and Hodder was conscious once more of the dependence which Eldon + Parr had had on his friendship. During that friendship he, Hodder, had + never lost the sense of being the stronger of the two, of being leaned + upon: leaned upon by a man whom the world feared and hated, and whom he + had been enable to regard with anything but compassion and the + unquestionable affection which sprang from it. Appalled by this + transition, he alighted from the car, and stood for a moment alone in the + darkness gazing at the great white houses that rose above the dusky + outline of shrubbery and trees. + </p> + <p> + At any rate, he wouldn't find that sense of dependence to-night. And it + steeled him somewhat to think, as he resumed his steps, that he would meet + now the other side, the hard side hitherto always turned away. Had he + needed no other warning of this, the answer to his note asking for an + appointment would have been enough,—a brief and formal communication + signed by the banker's secretary... + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr is engaged just at present, sir,” said the servant who opened + the door. “Would you be good enough to step into the library?” + </p> + <p> + Hardly had he entered the room when he heard a sound behind him, and + turned to confront Alison. The thought of her, too, had complicated + infinitely his emotions concerning the interview before him, and the sight + of her now, of her mature beauty displayed in evening dress, of her white + throat gleaming whiter against the severe black of her gown, made him + literally speechless. Never had he accused her of boldness, and now least + of all. It was the quality of her splendid courage that was borne in upon + him once more above the host of other feelings and impressions, for he + read in her eyes a knowledge of the meaning of his visit. + </p> + <p> + They stood facing each other an appreciable moment. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Langmaid is with him now,” she said, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + Her eyes still rested on his face, questioningly, appraisingly, as though + she were seeking to estimate his preparedness for the ordeal before him, + his ability to go through with it successfully, triumphantly. And in her + mention of Langmaid he recognized that she had meant to sound a note of + warning. She had intimated a consultation of the captains, a council of + war. And yet he had never spoken to her of this visit. This proof of her + partisanship, that she had come to him at the crucial instant, overwhelmed + him. + </p> + <p> + “You know why I am here?” he managed to say. It had to do with the extent + of her knowledge. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, why shouldn't I?” she cried, “after what you have told me. And could + you think I didn't understand, from the beginning, that it meant this?” + </p> + <p> + His agitation still hampered him. He made a gesture of assent. + </p> + <p> + “It was inevitable,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it' was inevitable,” she assented, and walked slowly to the mantel, + resting her hand on it and bending her head. “I felt that you would not + shirk it, and yet I realize how painful it must be to you.” + </p> + <p> + “And to you,” he replied quickly. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, and to me. I do not know what you know, specifically,—I have + never sought to find out things, in detail. That would be horrid. But I + understand—in general—I have understood for many years.” She + raised her head, and flashed him a glance that was between a quivering + smile and tears. “And I know that you have certain specific information.” + </p> + <p> + He could only wonder at her intuition. + </p> + <p> + “So far as I am concerned, it is not for the world,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I appreciate that in you!” she exclaimed. “I wished you to know it. I + wished you to know,” she added, a little unsteadily, “how much I admire + you for what you are doing. They are afraid of you—they will crush + you if they can.” + </p> + <p> + He did not reply. + </p> + <p> + “But you are going to speak the truth,” she continued, her voice low and + vibrating, “that is splendid! It must have its effect, no matter what + happens.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you feel that?” he asked, taking a step toward her. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. When I see you, I feel it, I think.”... + </p> + <p> + Whatever answer he might have made to this was frustrated by the + appearance of the figure of Nelson Langmaid in the doorway. He seemed to + survey them benevolently through his spectacles. + </p> + <p> + “How are you, Hodder? Well, Alison, I have to leave without seeing + anything of you—you must induce your father not to bring his + business home with him. Just a word,” he added to the rector, “before you + go up.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder turned to Alison. “Good night,” he said. + </p> + <p> + The gentle but unmistakable pressure of her hand he interpreted as the + pinning on him of the badge of her faith. He was to go into battle wearing + her colours. Their eyes met. + </p> + <p> + “Good night,” she answered.... + </p> + <p> + In the hall the lawyer took his arm. + </p> + <p> + “What's the trouble, Hodder?” he asked, sympathetically. + </p> + <p> + Hodder, although on his guard, was somewhat taken aback by the directness + of the onslaught. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid, Mr. Langmaid,” the rector replied, “that it would take me + longer to tell you than the time at your disposal.” + </p> + <p> + “Dear me,” said the lawyer, “this is too bad. Why didn't you come to me? I + am a good friend of yours, Hodder, and there is an additional bond between + us on my sister's account. She is extremely fond of you, you know. And I + have a certain feeling of responsibility for you,—I brought you + here.” + </p> + <p> + “You have always been very kind, and I appreciate it,” Hodder replied. “I + should be sorry to cause you any worry or annoyance. But you must + understand that I cannot share the responsibility of my acts with any + one.” + </p> + <p> + “A little advice from an old legal head is sometimes not out of place. + Even Dr. Gilman used to consult me. I hope you will bear in mind how + remarkably well you have been getting along at St. John's, and what a + success you've made.” + </p> + <p> + “Success!” echoed the rector. + </p> + <p> + Either Mr. Langmaid read nothing in his face, or was determined to read + nothing. + </p> + <p> + “Assuredly,” he answered, benignly. “You have managed to please everybody, + Mr. Parr included,—and some of us are not easy to please. I thought + I'd tell you this, as a friend, as your first friend in the parish. Your + achievement has been all the more remarkable, following, as you did, Dr. + Gilman. Now it would greatly distress me to see that state of things + disturbed, both for your sake and others. I thought I would just give you + a hint, as you are going to see Mr. Parr, that he is in rather a nervous + state. These so-called political reformers have upset the market and + started a lot of legal complications that's why I'm here to-night. Go easy + with him. I know you won't do anything foolish.” + </p> + <p> + The lawyer accompanied this statement with a pat, but this time he did not + succeed in concealing his concern. + </p> + <p> + “That depends on one's point of view,” Hodder returned, with a smile. “I + do not know how you have come to suspect that I am going to disturb Mr. + Parr, but what I have to say to him is between him and me.” + </p> + <p> + Langmaid took up his hat from the table, and sighed. + </p> + <p> + “Drop in on me sometime,” he said, “I'd like to talk to you—Hodder + heard a voice behind him, and turned. A servant was standing there. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr is ready to see you, sir,” he said. + </p> + <p> + The rector followed him up the stairs, to the room on the second floor, + half office, half study, where the capitalist transacted his business when + at home. + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr was huddled over his desk reading a typewritten document; but + he rose, and held out his hand, which Hodder took. + </p> + <p> + “How are you, Mr. Hodder? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but matters + of some legal importance have arisen on which I was obliged to make a + decision. You're well, I hope.” He shot a glance at the rector, and sat + down again, still holding the sheets. “If you will excuse me a moment + longer, I'll finish this.” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” Hodder replied. + </p> + <p> + “Take a chair,” said Mr. Parr, “you'll find the evening paper beside you.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder sat down, and the banker resumed his perusal of the document, his + eye running rapidly over the pages, pausing once in a while to scratch out + a word or to make a note on the margin. In the concentration of the man on + the task before him the rector read a design, an implication that the + affairs of the Church were of a minor importance: sensed, indeed, the new + attitude of hostility, gazed upon the undiscovered side, the dangerous + side before which other men had quailed. Alison's words recurred to him, + “they are afraid of you, they will crush you if they can.” Eldon Parr + betrayed, at any rate, no sign of fear. If his mental posture were further + analyzed, it might be made out to contain an intimation that the rector, + by some act, had forfeited the right to the unique privilege of the old + relationship. + </p> + <p> + Well, the fact that the banker had, in some apparently occult manner, been + warned, would make Hodder's task easier—or rather less difficult. + His feelings were even more complicated than he had anticipated. The + moments of suspense were trying to his nerves, and he had a shrewd notion + that this making men wait was a favourite manoeuvre of Eldon Parr's; nor + had he underrated the benumbing force of that personality. It was evident + that the financier intended him to open the battle, and he was—as he + had expected—finding it difficult to marshal the regiments of his + arguments. In vain he thought of the tragedy of Garvin.... The thing was + more complicated. And behind this redoubtable and sinister Eldon Parr he + saw, as it were, the wraith of that: other who had once confessed the + misery of his loneliness.... + </p> + <p> + At last the banker rang, sharply, the bell on his desk. A secretary + entered, to whom he dictated a telegram which contained these words: + “Langmaid has discovered a way out.” It was to be sent to an address in + Texas. Then he turned in his chair and crossed his knees, his hand + fondling an ivory paper-cutter. He smiled a little. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Mr. Hodder,” he said. + </p> + <p> + The rector, intensely on his guard, merely inclined his head in + recognition that his turn had come. + </p> + <p> + “I was sorry,” the banker continued, after a perceptible pause,—“that + you could not see your way clear to have come with me on the cruise.” + </p> + <p> + “I must thank you again,” Hodder answered, “but I felt—as I wrote + you—that certain matters made it impossible for me to go.” + </p> + <p> + “I suppose you had your reasons, but I think you would have enjoyed the + trip. I had a good, seaworthy boat—I chartered her from Mr. Lieber, + the president of the Continental Zinc, you know. I went as far as + Labrador. A wonderful coast, Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + “It must be,” agreed the rector. It was clear that Mr. Parr intended to + throw upon him the onus of the first move. There was a silence, brief, + indeed, but long enough for Hodder to feel more and more distinctly the + granite hardness which the other had become, to experience a rising, + reenforcing anger. He went forward, steadily but resolutely, on the crest + of it. “I have remained in the city,” he continued, “and I have had the + opportunity to discover certain facts of which I have hitherto been + ignorant, and which, in my opinion, profoundly affect the welfare of the + church. It is of these I wished to speak to you.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr waited. + </p> + <p> + “It is not much of an exaggeration to say that ever since I came here I + have been aware that St. John's, considering the long standing of the + parish, the situation of the church in a thickly populated district, is + not fulfilling its mission. But I have failed until now to perceive the + causes of that inefficiency.” + </p> + <p> + “Inefficiency?” The banker repeated the word. + </p> + <p> + “Inefficiency,” said Hodder. “The reproach, the responsibility is largely + mine, as the rector, the spiritual, head of the parish. I believe I am + right when I say that the reason for the decision, some twenty years ago, + to leave the church where it is, instead of selling the property and + building in the West End, was that it might minister to the poor in the + neighbourhood, to bring religion and hope into their lives, and to exert + its influence towards eradicating the vice and misery which surround it.” + </p> + <p> + “But I thought you had agreed,” said Mr. Parr, coldly, “that we were to + provide for that in the new chapel and settlement house.” + </p> + <p> + “For reasons which I hope to make plain to you, Mr. Parr,” Hodder replied, + “those people can never be reached, as they ought to be reached, by + building that settlement house. The principle is wrong, the day is past + when such things can be done—in that way.” He laid an emphasis on + these words. “It is good, I grant you, to care for the babies and children + of the poor, it is good to get young women and men out of the dance-halls, + to provide innocent amusement, distraction, instruction. But it is not + enough. It leaves the great, transforming thing in the lives of these + people untouched, and it will forever remain untouched so long as a sense + of wrong, a continually deepening impression of an unchristian + civilization upheld by the Church herself, exists. Such an undertaking as + that settlement house—I see clearly now—is a palliation, a + poultice applied to one of many sores, a compromise unworthy of the high + mission of the Church. She should go to the root of the disease. It is her + first business to make Christians, who, by amending their own lives, by + going out individually and collectively into the life of the nation, will + gradually remove these conditions.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr sat drumming on the table. Hodder met his look. + </p> + <p> + “So you, too, have come to it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Have come to what?” + </p> + <p> + “Socialism.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder, in the state of clairvoyance in which he now surprisingly found + himself, accurately summed up the value and meaning of the banker's sigh. + </p> + <p> + “Say, rather,” he replied, “that I have come to Christianity. We shall + never have what is called socialism until there is no longer any necessity + for it, until men, of their owe free will, are ready to renounce selfish, + personal ambition and power and work for humanity, for the state.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Parr's gesture implied that he cared not by what name the thing was + called, but he still appeared strangely, astonishingly calm;—Hodder, + with all his faculties acute, apprehended that he was dangerously calm. + The man who had formerly been his friend was now completely obliterated, + and he had the feeling almost of being about to grapple, in mortal combat, + with some unknown monster whose tactics and resources were infinite, whose + victims had never escaped. The monster was in Eldon Parr—that is how + it came to him. The waxy, relentless demon was aroused. It behooved him, + Hodder, to step carefully.... + </p> + <p> + “That is all very fine, Mr. Hodder, very altruistic, very Christian, I've + no doubt-but the world doesn't work that way.” (These were the words borne + in on Hodder's consciousness.) “What drives the world is the motive + furnished by the right of acquiring and holding property. If we had a + division to-day, the able men would come out on top next year.” + </p> + <p> + The rector shook his head. He remembered, at that moment, Horace Bentley. + </p> + <p> + “What drives the world is a far higher motive, Mr. Parr, the motive with + which have been fired the great lights of history, the motive of + renunciation and service which is transforming governments, which is + gradually making the world a better place in which to live. And we are + seeing men and women imbued with it, rising in ever increasing numbers on + every side to-day.” + </p> + <p> + “Service!” Eldon Parr had seized upon the word as it passed and held it. + “What do you think my life has been? I suppose,” he said, with a touch of + intense bitterness, “that you, too, who six months ago seemed as + reasonable a man as I ever met, have joined in the chorus of denunciators. + It has become the fashion to-day, thanks to your socialists, reformers, + and agitators, to decry a man because he is rich, to take it for granted + that he is a thief and a scoundrel, that he has no sense of responsibility + for his country and his fellow-men. The glory, the true democracy of this + nation, lies in its equal opportunity for all. They take no account of + that, of the fact that each has had the same chance as his fellows. No, + but they cry out that the man who, by the sweat of his brow, has earned + wealth ought to divide it up with the lazy and the self-indulgent and the + shiftless. + </p> + <p> + “Take my case, for instance,—it is typical of thousands. I came to + this city as a boy in my teens, with eight dollars in my pocket which I + had earned on a farm. I swept the floor, cleaned the steps, moved boxes + and ran errands in Gabriel Parker's store on Third Street. I was + industrious, sober, willing to do anything. I fought, I tell you every + inch of my way. As soon as I saved a little money I learned to use every + ounce of brain I possessed to hold on to it. I trusted a man once, and I + had to begin all over again. And I discovered, once for all, if a man + doesn't look out for himself, no one will. + </p> + <p> + “I don't pretend that I am any better than any one else, I have had to + take life as I found it, and make the best of it. I conformed to the rules + of the game; I soon had sense enough knocked into me to understand that + the conditions were not of my making. But I'll say this for myself,” Eldon + Parr leaned forward over the blotter, “I had standards, and I stuck by + them. I wanted to be a decent citizen, to bring up my children in the + right way. I didn't squander my money, when I got it, on wine and women, I + respected other men's wives, I supported the Church and the institutions + of the city. I too even I had my ambitions, my ideals—and they were + not entirely worldly ones. You would probably accuse me of wishing to + acquire only the position of power which I hold. If you had accepted my + invitation to go aboard the yacht this summer, it was my intention to + unfold to you a scheme of charities which has long been forming in my + mind, and which I think would be of no small benefit to the city where I + have made my fortune. I merely mention this to prove to you that I am not + unmindful, in spite of the circumstances of my own life, of the + unfortunates whose mental equipment is not equal to my own.” + </p> + <p> + By this “poor boy” argument which—if Hodder had known—Mr. Parr + had used at banquets with telling effect, the banker seemed to regain + perspective and equilibrium, to plant his feet once more on the rock of + the justification of his life, and from which, by a somewhat extraordinary + process he had not quite understood, he had been partially shaken off. As + he had proceeded with his personal history, his manner had gradually + become one of the finality of experience over theory, of the forbearance + of the practical man with the visionary. Like most successful citizens of + his type, he possessed in a high degree the faculty of creating sympathy, + of compelling others to accept—temporarily, at least—his point + of view. It was this faculty, Hodder perceived, which had heretofore laid + an enchantment upon him, and it was not without a certain wonder that he + now felt himself to be released from the spell. + </p> + <p> + The perceptions of the banker were as keen, and his sense of security was + brief. Somehow, as he met the searching eye of the rector, he was unable + to see the man as a visionary, but beheld—and, to do him justice—felt + a twinge of respect for an adversary worthy of his steel. + </p> + <p> + He, who was accustomed to prepare for clouds when they were mere specks on + his horizon, paused even now to marvel why he had not dealt with this. + Here was a man—a fanatic, if he liked—but still a man who + positively did not fear him, to whom his wrath and power were as nothing! + A new and startling and complicated sensation—but Eldon Parr was no + coward. If he had, consciously or unconsciously, formerly looked upon the + clergyman as a dependent, Hodder appeared to be one no more. The very + ruggedness of the man had enhanced, expanded—as it were—until + it filled the room. And Hodder had, with an audacity unparalleled in the + banker's experience arraigned by implication his whole life, managed to + put him on the defensive. + </p> + <p> + “But if that be your experience,” the rector said, “and it has become your + philosophy, what is it in you that impels you to give these large sums for + the public good?” + </p> + <p> + “I should suppose that you, as a clergyman, might understand that my + motive is a Christian one.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder sat very still, but a higher light came into his eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr,” he replied, “I have been a friend of yours, and I am a friend + still. And what I am going to tell you is not only in the hope that others + may benefit, but that your own soul may be saved. I mean that literally—your + own soul. You are under the impression that you are a Christian, but you + are not and never have been one. And you will not be one until your whole + life is transformed, until you become a different man. If you do not + change, it is my duty to warn you that the sorrow and suffering, the + uneasiness which you now know, and which drive you on, in search of + distraction, to adding useless sums of money to your fortune—this + suffering, I say, will become intensified. You will die in the knowledge + of it, and live on after, in the knowledge of it.” + </p> + <p> + In spite of himself, the financier drew back before this unexpected blast, + the very intensity of which had struck a chill of terror in his inmost + being. He had been taken off his guard,—for he had supposed the day + long past—if it had ever existed—when a spiritual rebuke would + upset him; the day long past when a minister could pronounce one with any + force. That the Church should ever again presume to take herself seriously + had never occurred to him. And yet—the man had denounced him in a + moment of depression, of nervous irritation and exasperation against a + government which had begun to interfere with the sacred liberty of its + citizens, against political agitators who had spurred that government on. + The world was mad. No element, it seemed, was now content to remain in its + proper place. His voice, as he answered, shook with rage,—all the + greater because the undaunted sternness by which it was confronted seemed + to reduce it to futility. + </p> + <p> + “Take care!” he cried, “take care! You, nor any other man, clergyman or no + clergyman, have any right to be the judge of my conduct.” + </p> + <p> + “On the contrary,” said Holder, “if your conduct affects the welfare, the + progress, the reputation of the church of which I am rector, I have the + right. And I intend to exercise it. It becomes my duty, however painful, + to tell you, as a member of the Church, wherein you have wronged the + Church and wronged yourself.” + </p> + <p> + He didn't raise his tone, and there was in it more of sorrow than of + indignation. The banker turned an ashen gray.. A moment elapsed before he + spoke, a transforming moment. He suddenly became ice. + </p> + <p> + “Very well,” he said. “I can't pretend to account for these astounding + views you have acquired—and I am using a mild term. Let me say this: + (he leaned forward a little, across the desk) I demand that you be + specific. I am a busy man, I have little time to waste, I have certain + matters—before me which must be attended to to-night. I warn you + that I will not listen any longer to vague accusations.” + </p> + <p> + It was Holder's turn to marvel. Did Eldon Purr, after all; have no sense + of guilt? Instantaneously, automatically, his own anger rose. + </p> + <p> + “You may be sure, Mr. Parr, that I should not be here unless I were + prepared to be specific. And what I am going to say to you I have reserved + for your ear alone, in the hope that you will take it to heart, while it + is not yet too late, said amend your life accordingly.” + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr shifted slightly. His look became inscrutable, was riveted on + the rector. + </p> + <p> + “I shall call your attention first to a man of whom you have probably + never heard. He is dead now—he threw himself into the river this + summer, with a curse on his lips—I am afraid—a curse against + you. A few years ago he lived happily with his wife and child in a little + house on the Grade Suburban, and he had several thousand dollars as a + result of careful saving and systematic self-denial. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps you have never thought of the responsibilities of a great name. + This man, like thousands of others in the city, idealized you. He looked + up to you as the soul of honour, as a self-made man who by his own unaided + efforts—as you yourself have just pointed out—rose from a poor + boy to a position of power and trust in the community. He saw you a + prominent layman in the Church of God. He was dazzled by the brilliancy of + your success, inspired by a civilization which—gave such + opportunities. He recognized that he himself had not the brains for such + an achievement,—his hope and love and ambition were centred in his + boy.” + </p> + <p> + At the word Eldon Parr's glance was suddenly dulled by pain. He tightened + his lips. + </p> + <p> + “That boy was then of a happy, merry disposition, so the mother says, and + every summer night as she cooked supper she used to hear him laughing as + he romped in the yard with his father. When I first saw him this summer, + it was two days before his father committed suicide. The child was lying, + stifled with the heat, in the back room of one of those desolate lodging + houses in Dalton Street, and his little body had almost wasted away. + </p> + <p> + “While I was there the father came in, and when he saw me he was filled + with fury. He despised the Church, and St. John's above all churches, + because you were of it; because you who had given so generously to it had + wrecked his life. You had shattered his faith in humanity, his ideal. From + a normal, contented man he had deteriorated into a monomaniac whom no one + would hire, a physical and mental wreck who needed care and nursing. He + said he hoped the boy would die. + </p> + <p> + “And what had happened? The man had bought, with all the money he had in + the world, Consolidated Tractions. He had bought it solely because of his + admiration for your ability, his faith in your name. It was inconceivable + to him that a man of your standing, a public benefactor, a supporter of + church and charities, would permit your name to be connected with any + enterprise that was not sound and just. Thousands like Garvin lost all + they had, while you are still a rich man. It is further asserted that you + sold out all your stock at a high price, with the exception of that in the + leased lines, which are guaranteed heavy dividends.” + </p> + <p> + “Have you finished?” demanded Eldon Parr. + </p> + <p> + “Not quite, on this subject,” replied the rector. “Two nights after that, + the man threw himself in the river. His body was pulled out by men on a + tugboat, and his worthless stock certificate was in his pocket. It is now + in the possession of Mr. Horace Bentley. Thanks to Mr. Bentley, the widow + found a temporary home, and the child has almost recovered.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder paused. His interest had suddenly become concentrated upon the + banker's new demeanour, and he would not have thought it within the range + of possibility that a man could listen to such a revelation concerning + himself without the betrayal of some feeling. But so it was,—Eldon + Parr had been coldly attentive, save for the one scarcely perceptible + tremor when the boy was mentioned. His interrogatory gesture gave the very + touch of perfection to this attitude, since it proclaimed him to have + listened patiently to a charge so preposterous that a less reasonable man + would have cut it short. + </p> + <p> + “And what leads you to suppose,” he inquired, “that I am responsible in + this matter? What leads you to infer that the Consolidated Tractions + Company was not organized in good faith? Do you think that business men + are always infallible? The street-car lines of this city were at sixes and + sevens, fighting each other; money was being wasted by poor management. + The idea behind the company was a public-spirited one, to give the + citizens cheaper and better service, by a more modern equipment, by a + wider system of transfer. It seems to me, Mr. Hodder, that you put + yourself in a more quixotic position than the so-called reformers when you + assume that the men who organize a company in good faith are personally + responsible for every share of stock that is sold, and for the welfare of + every individual who may buy the stock. We force no one to buy it. They do + so at their own risk. I myself have thousands of dollars of worthless + stock in my safe. I have never complained.” + </p> + <p> + The full force of Hodder's indignation went into his reply. + </p> + <p> + “I am not talking about the imperfect code of human justice under which we + live, Mr. Parr,” he cried. “This is not a case in which a court of law may + exonerate you, it is between you and your God. But I have taken the + trouble to find out, from unquestioned sources, the truth about the + Consolidated Tractions Company—I shall not go into the details at + length—they are doubtless familiar to you. I know that the legal + genius of Mr. Langmaid, one of my vestry, made possible the organization + of the company, and thereby evaded the plain spirit of the law of the + state. I know that one branch line was bought for two hundred and fifty + thousand dollars, and capitalized for three millions, and that most of the + others were scandalously over-capitalized. I know that while the coming + transaction was still a secret, you and other, gentlemen connected with + the matter bought up large interests in other lines, which you proceeded + to lease to yourselves at guaranteed dividends which these lines do not + earn. I know that the first large dividend was paid out of capital. And + the stock which you sold to poor Garvin was so hopelessly watered that it + never could have been anything but worthless. If, in spite of these facts, + you do not deem yourself responsible for the misery which has been caused, + if your conscience is now clear, it is my duty to tell you that there is a + higher bar of justice.” + </p> + <p> + The intensity of the fire of the denunciation had, indeed, a momentary yet + visible effect in the banker's expression. Whatever the emotions thus + lashed to self-betrayal, anger, hatred,—fear, perhaps, Hodder could + not detect a trace of penitence; and he was aware, on the part of the + other, of a supreme, almost spasmodic effort for self-control. The + constitutional reluctance of Eldon Parr to fight openly could not have + been more clearly demonstrated. + </p> + <p> + “Because you are a clergyman, Mr. Hodder,” he began, “because you are the + rector of St. John's, I have allowed you to say things to me which I would + not have permitted from any other man. I have tried to take into account + your point of view, which is naturally restricted, your pardonable + ignorance of what business men, who wish to do their duty by Church and + State, have to contend with. When you came to this parish you seemed to + have a sensible, a proportional view of things; you were content to + confine your activities to your own sphere, content not to meddle with + politics and business, which you could, at first hand, know nothing about. + The modern desire of clergymen to interfere in these matters has ruined + the usefulness of many of them. + </p> + <p> + “I repeat, I have tried to be patient. I venture to hope, still, that this + extraordinary change in you may not be permanent, but merely the result of + a natural sympathy with the weak and unwise and unfortunate who are always + to be found in a complex civilization. I can even conceive how such a + discovery must have shocked you, temporarily aroused your indignation, as + a clergyman, against the world as it is—and, I may add, as it has + always been. My personal friendship for you, and my interest in your + future welfare impel me to make a final appeal to you not to ruin a career + which is full of promise.” + </p> + <p> + The rector did not take advantage of the pause. A purely psychological + curiosity hypnotized him to see how far the banker would go in his + apparent generosity. + </p> + <p> + “I once heard you say, I believe, in a sermon, that the Christian religion + is a leaven. It is the leaven that softens and ameliorates the hard + conditions of life, that makes our relations with our fellow-men bearable. + But life is a contest, it is war. It always has been, and always will be. + Business is war, commerce is war, both among nations and individuals. You + cannot get around it. If a man does not exterminate his rivals they will + exterminate him. In other days churches were built and endowed with the + spoils of war, and did not disdain the money. To-day they cheerfully + accept the support and gifts of business men. I do not accuse them of + hypocrisy. It is a recognition on their part that business men, in spite + of hard facts, are not unmindful of the spiritual side of life, and are + not deaf to the injunction to help others. And when, let me ask you, could + you find in the world's history more splendid charities than are around us + to-day? Institutions endowed for medical research, for the conquest of + deadly diseases? libraries, hospitals, schools—men giving their + fortunes for these things, the fruits of a life's work so laboriously + acquired? Who can say that the modern capitalist is not liberal, is not a + public benefactor? + </p> + <p> + “I dislike being personal, but you have forced it upon me. I dislike to + refer to what I have already done in the matter of charities, but I hinted + to you awhile ago of a project I have conceived and almost perfected of + gifts on a much larger scale than I have ever attempted.” The financier + stared at him meaningly. “And I had you in mind as one of the three men + whom I should consult, whom I should associate with myself in the matter. + We cannot change human nature, but we can better conditions by wise + giving. I do not refer now to the settle ment house, which I am ready to + help make and maintain as the best in the country, but I have in mind a + system to be carried out with the consent and aid of the municipal + government, of play-grounds, baths, parks, places of recreation, and + hospitals, for the benefit of the people, which will put our city in the + very forefront of progress. And I believe, as a practical man, I can + convince you that the betterment which you and I so earnestly desire can + be brought about in no other way. Agitation can only result in anarchy and + misery for all.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder's wrath, as he rose from his chair, was of the sort that appears + incredibly to add to the physical stature,—the bewildering spiritual + wrath which is rare indeed, and carries all before it. + </p> + <p> + “Don't tempt me, Mr. Parr!” he said. “Now that I know the truth, I tell + you frankly I would face poverty and persecution rather than consent to + your offer. And I warn you once more not to flatter yourself that + existence ends here, that you will, not be called to answer for every + wrong act you have committed in accumulating your fortune, that what you + call business is an affair of which God takes no account. What I say may + seem foolishness to you, but I tell you, in the words of that Foolishness, + that it will not profit you to gain the whole world and lose your own + soul. You remind me that the Church in old time accepted gifts from the + spoils of war, and I will add of rapine and murder. And the Church to-day, + to repeat your own parallel, grows rich with money wrongfully got. + Legally? Ah, yes, legally, perhaps. But that will not avail you. And the + kind of church you speak of—to which I, to my shame, once consented—Our + Lord repudiates. It is none of his. I warn you, Mr. Parr, in his Name, + first to make your peace with your brothers before you presume to lay + another gift on the altar.” + </p> + <p> + During this withering condemnation of himself Eldon Parr sat motionless, + his face grown livid, an expression on it that continued to haunt Hodder + long afterwards. An expression, indeed, which made the banker almost + unrecognizable. + </p> + <p> + “Go,” he whispered, his hand trembling visibly as he pointed towards the + door. “Go—I have had enough of this.” + </p> + <p> + “Not until I have said one thing more,” replied the rector, undaunted. “I + have found the woman whose marriage with your son you prevented, whom you + bought off and started on the road to hell without any sense of + responsibility. You have made of her a prostitute and a drunkard. Whether + she can be rescued or not is problematical. She, too, is in Mr. Bentley's + care, a man upon whom you once showed no mercy. I leave Garvin, who has + gone to his death, and Kate Marcy and Horace Bentley to your conscience, + Mr. Parr. That they are representative of many others, I do not doubt. I + tell you solemnly that the whole meaning of life is service to others, and + I warn you, before it is too late, to repent and make amends. Gifts will + not help you, and charities are of no avail.” + </p> + <p> + At the reference to Kate Marcy Eldon Parr's hand dropped to his side. He + seemed to have physical difficulty in speaking. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, you have found that woman!” He leaned an elbow on the desk, he seemed + suddenly to have become weary, spent, old. And Hodder, as he watched him, + perceived—that his haggard look was directed towards a photograph in + a silver frame on the table—a photograph of Preston Parr. At length + he broke the silence. + </p> + <p> + “What would you have had me do?” he asked. “Permit my son to marry a woman + of the streets, I suppose. That would have been Christianity, according to + your notion. Come now, what world you have done, if your son had been in + question?” + </p> + <p> + A wave of pity swept over the rector. + </p> + <p> + “Why,” he said, why did you have nothing but cruelty in your heart, and + contempt for her? When you saw that she was willing, for the love of the + son whom you loved, to give up all that life meant to her, how could you + destroy her without a qualm? The crime you committed was that you refused + to see God in that woman's soul, when he had revealed himself to you. You + looked for wile, for cunning, for self-seeking,—and they were not + there. Love had obliterated them. When you saw how meekly she obeyed you, + and agreed to go away, why did you not have pity? If you had listened to + your conscience, you would have known what to do. + </p> + <p> + “I do not say that you should not have opposed the marriage—then. + Marriage is not to be lightly entered into. From the moment you went to + see her you became responsible for her. You hurled her into the abyss, and + she has come back to haunt you. You should have had her educated and cared + for—she would have submitted, to any plan you proposed. And if, + after a sensible separation, you became satisfied as to her character and + development, and your son still wished to marry her, you should have + withdrawn your objections. + </p> + <p> + “As it is, and in consequence of your act, you have lost your son. He left + you then, and you have no more control over him.” + </p> + <p> + “Stop!” cried Eldon Parr, “for God's sake stop! I won't stand any more of + this. I will not listen to criticism of my life, to strictures on my + conduct from you or any other man.” He reached for a book on the corner of + his desk—a cheque book.—“You'll want money for these people, I + suppose,” he added brutally. “I will give it, but it must be understood + that I do not recognize any right of theirs to demand it.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment Holder did not trust himself to reply. He looked down across + the desk at the financier, who was fumbling with the leaves. + </p> + <p> + “They do not demand it, Mr. Parr,” he answered, gently. “And I have tried + to make it plain to you that you have lost the right to give it. I + expected to fail in this. I have failed.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean?” Eldon Parr let the cheque book close. + </p> + <p> + “I mean what I said,” the rector replied. “That if you would save your + soul you must put an end, to-morrow, to the acquisition of money, and + devote the rest of your life to an earnest and sincere attempt to make + just restitution to those you have wronged. And you must ask the + forgiveness of God for your sins. Until you do that, your charities are + abominations in his sight. I will not trouble you any longer, except to + say that I shall be ready to come to you at any time my presence may be of + any help to you.” + </p> + <p> + The banker did not speak.... With a single glance towards the library + Holder left the house, but paused for a moment outside to gaze back at it, + as it loomed in the darkness against the stars. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI. ALISON GOES TO CHURCH + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + On the following Sunday morning the early light filtered into Alison's + room, and she opened her strong eyes. Presently she sprang from her bed + and drew back the curtains of the windows, gazing rapturously into the + crystal day. The verdure of the Park was freshened to an incredible + brilliancy by the dew, a thin white veil of mist was spread over the + mirror of the waters, the trees flung long shadows across the turf. + </p> + <p> + A few minutes later she was out, thrilled by the silence, drawing in deep, + breaths of the morning air; lingering by still lakes catching the blue of + the sky—a blue that left its stain upon the soul; as the sun mounted + she wandered farther, losing herself in the wilderness of the forest. + </p> + <p> + At eight o'clock, when she returned, there were signs that the city had + awakened. A mounted policeman trotted past her as she crossed a gravel + drive, and on the tree-flecked stretches, which lately had been empty as + Eden, human figures were scattered. A child, with a sailboat that + languished for lack of wind, stared at her, first with fascination and + wonder in his eyes, and then smiled at her tentatively. She returned the + smile with a start. + </p> + <p> + Children had stared at her like that before now, and for the first time in + her life she asked herself what the look might mean. She had never really + been fond of them: she had never, indeed, been brought much in contact + with them. But now, without warning, a sudden fierce yearning took + possession of her: surprised and almost frightened, she stopped + irresistibly and looked back at the thin little figure crouched beside the + water, to discover that his widened eyes were still upon her. Her own + lingered on him shyly, and thus for a moment she hung in doubt whether to + flee or stay, her heart throbbing as though she were on the brink of some + unknown and momentous adventure. She took a timid step. + </p> + <p> + “What's your name?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + The boy told her. + </p> + <p> + “What's yours?” he ventured, still under the charm. + </p> + <p> + “Alison.” + </p> + <p> + He had never heard of that name, and said so. They deplored the lack of + wind. And presently, still mystified, but gathering courage, he asked her + why she blushed, at which her colour deepened. + </p> + <p> + “I can't help it,” she told him. + </p> + <p> + “I like it,” the boy said. + </p> + <p> + Though the grass was still wet, she got down on her knees in her white + skirt, the better to push the boat along the shore: once it drifted beyond + their reach, and was only rescued by a fallen branch discovered with + difficulty. + </p> + <p> + The arrival of the boy's father, an anaemic-looking little man, put an end + to their play. He deplored the condition of the lady's dress. + </p> + <p> + “It doesn't matter in the least,” she assured him, and fled in a mood she + did not attempt to analyze. Hurrying homeward, she regained her room, + bathed, and at half past eight appeared in the big, formal dining-room, + from which the glare of the morning light was carefully screened. Her + father insisted on breakfasting here; and she found him now seated before + the white table-cloth, reading a newspaper. He glanced up at her + critically. + </p> + <p> + “So you've decided to honour me this morning,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I've been out in the Park,” she replied, taking the chair opposite him. + He resumed his reading, but presently, as she was pouring out the coffee, + he lowered the paper again. + </p> + <p> + “What's the occasion to-day?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “The occasion?” she repeated, without acknowledging that she had instantly + grasped his implication. His eyes were on her gown. + </p> + <p> + “You are not accustomed, as a rule, to pay much deference to Sunday.” + </p> + <p> + “Doesn't the Bible say, somewhere,” she inquired, “that the Sabbath was + made for man? Perhaps that may be broadened after a while, to include + woman.” + </p> + <p> + “But you have never been an advocate, so far as I know, of women taking + advantage of their opportunity by going to Church.” + </p> + <p> + “What's the use,” demanded Alison, “of the thousands of working women + spending the best part of the day in the ordinary church, when their feet + and hands and heads are aching? Unless some fire is kindled in their + souls, it is hopeless for them to try to obtain any benefit from religion—so-called—as + it is preached to them in most churches.” + </p> + <p> + “Fire in their souls!” exclaimed the banker. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. If the churches offered those who might be leaders among their + fellows a practical solution of existence, kindled their self-respect, + replaced a life of drudgery by one of inspiration—that would be + worth while. But you will never get such a condition as that unless your + pulpits are filled by personalities, instead of puppets who are all cast + in one mould, and who profess to be there by divine right.” + </p> + <p> + “I am glad to see at least that you are taking an interest in religious + matters,” her father observed, meaningly. + </p> + <p> + Alison coloured. But she retorted with spirit. + </p> + <p> + “That is true of a great many persons to-day who are thinking on the + subject. If Christianity is a solution of life, people are demanding of + the churches that they shall perform their function, and show us how, and + why, or else cease to encumber the world.” + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr folded up his newspaper. + </p> + <p> + “So you are going to Church this morning,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. At what time will you be ready?” + </p> + <p> + “At quarter to eleven. But if you are going to St. John', you will have to + start earlier. I'll order a car at half past ten.” + </p> + <p> + “Where are you going?” She held her breath, unconsciously, for the answer. + </p> + <p> + “To Calvary,” he replied coldly, as he rose to leave the room. “But I + hesitate to ask you to come,—I am afraid you will not find a + religion there that suits you.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment she could not trust herself to speak. The secret which, ever + since Friday evening, she had been burning to learn was disclosed ... Her + father had broken with Mr. Hodder! + </p> + <p> + “Please don't order the motor for me,” she said. “I'd rather go in the + street cars.” + </p> + <p> + She sat very still in the empty room, her face burning. + </p> + <p> + Characteristically, her father had not once mentioned the rector of St. + John's, yet had contrived to imply that her interest in Hodder was greater + than her interest in religion. And she was forced to admit, with her + customary honesty, that the implication was true. + </p> + <p> + The numbers who knew Alison Parr casually thought her cold. They admired a + certain quality in her work, but they did not suspect that that quality + was the incomplete expression of an innate idealism capable of being + fanned into flame,—for she was subject to rare but ardent + enthusiasms which kindled and transformed her incredibly in the eyes of + the few to whom the process had been revealed. She had had even a longer + list of suitors than any one guessed; men who—usually by accident—had + touched the hidden spring, and suddenly beholding an unimagined woman, had + consequently lost their heads. The mistake most of them had made (for + subtlety in such affairs is not a masculine trait) was the failure to + recognize and continue to present the quality in them which had awakened + her. She had invariably discovered the feet of clay. + </p> + <p> + Thus disillusion had been her misfortune—perhaps it would be more + accurate to say her fortune. She had built up, after each invasion, her + defences more carefully and solidly than before, only to be again + astonished and dismayed by the next onslaught, until at length the + question had become insistent—the question of an alliance for + purposes of greater security. She had returned to her childhood home to + consider it, frankly recognizing it as a compromise, a fall.... + </p> + <p> + And here, in this sanctuary of her reflection, and out of a quarter on + which she had set no watch, out of a wilderness which she had believed to + hold nothing save the ruined splendours of the past, had come one who, + like the traditional figures of the wilderness, had attracted her by his + very uncouthness and latent power. And the anomaly he presented in what + might be called the vehemence of his advocacy of an outworn orthodoxy, in + his occupation of the pulpit of St. John's, had quickened at once her + curiosity and antagonism. It had been her sudden discovery, or rather her + instinctive suspicion of the inner conflict in him which had set her + standard fluttering in response. Once more (for the last time—something + whispered—now) she had become the lady of the lists; she sat on her + walls watching, with beating heart and straining eyes, the closed helm of + her champion, ready to fling down the revived remnant of her faith as + prize or forfeit. She had staked all on the hope that he would not lower + his lance..... + </p> + <p> + Saturday had passed in suspense.... And now was flooding in on her the + certainty that he had not failed her; that he had, with a sublime + indifference to a worldly future and success, defied the powers. With + indifference, too, to her! She knew, of course, that he loved her. A man + with less of greatness would have sought a middle way.... + </p> + <p> + When, at half past ten, she fared forth into the sunlight, she was filled + with anticipation, excitement, concern, feelings enhanced and not soothed + by the pulsing vibrations of the church bells in the softening air. The + swift motion of the electric car was grateful... But at length the sight + of familiar landmarks, old-fashioned dwellings crowded in between the + stores and factories of lower Tower Street, brought back recollections of + the days when she had come this way, other Sunday mornings, and in a more + leisurely public vehicle, with her mother. Was it possible that she, + Alison Parr, were going to church now? Her excitement deepened, and she + found it difficult to bring herself to the realization that her + destination was a church—the church of her childhood. At this moment + she could only think of St. John's as the setting of the supreme drama. + </p> + <p> + When she alighted at the corner of Burton Street there was the + well-remembered, shifting group on the pavement in front of the church + porch. How many times, in the summer and winter, in fair weather and + cloudy, in rain and sleet and snow had she approached that group, as she + approached it now! Here were the people, still, in the midst of whom her + earliest associations had been formed, changed, indeed,-but yet the same. + No, the change was in her, and the very vastness of that change came as a + shock. These had stood still, anchored to their traditions, while she—had + she grown? or merely wandered? She had searched, at least, and seen. She + had once accepted them—if indeed as a child it could have been said + of her that she accepted anything; she had been unable then, at any rate, + to bring forward any comparisons. + </p> + <p> + Now she beheld them, collectively, in their complacent finery, as + representing a force, a section of the army blocking the heads of the + passes of the world's progress, resting on their arms, but ready at the + least uneasy movement from below to man the breastworks, to fling down the + traitor from above, to fight fiercely for the solidarity of their order. + And Alison even believed herself to detect, by something indefinable in + their attitudes as they stood momentarily conversing in lowered voices, an + aroused suspicion, an uneasy anticipation. Her imagination went so far as + to apprehend, as they greeted her unwonted appearance, that they read in + it an addition to other vague and disturbing phenomena. Her colour was + high. + </p> + <p> + “Why, my dear,” said Mrs. Atterbury, “I thought you had gone back to New + York long ago!” + </p> + <p> + Beside his mother stood Gordon—more dried up, it seemed, than ever. + Alison recalled him, as on this very spot, a thin, pale boy in short + trousers, and Mrs. Atterbury a beautiful and controlled young matron + associated with St. John's and with children's parties. She was wonderful + yet, with her white hair and straight nose, her erect figure still slight. + Alison knew that Mrs. Atterbury had never forgiven her for rejecting her + son—or rather for being the kind of woman who could reject him. + </p> + <p> + “Surely you haven't been here all summer?” + </p> + <p> + Alison admitted it, characteristically, without explanations. + </p> + <p> + “It seems so natural to see you here at the old church, after all these + years,” the lady went on, and Alison was aware that Mrs. Atterbury + questioned—or rather was at a loss for the motives which had led + such an apostate back to the fold. “We must thank Mr. Hodder, I suppose. + He's very remarkable. I hear he is resuming the services to-day for the + first time since June.” + </p> + <p> + Alison was inclined to read a significance into Mrs. Atterbury's glance at + her son, who was clearing his throat. + </p> + <p> + “But—where is Mr. Parr?” he asked. “I understand he has come back + from his cruise.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, he is back. I came without—him—-as you see.” + </p> + <p> + She found a certain satisfaction in adding to the mystification, to the + disquietude he betrayed by fidgeting more than usual. + </p> + <p> + “But—he always comes when he is in town. Business—I suppose—ahem!” + </p> + <p> + “No,” replied Alison, dropping her bomb with cruel precision, “he has gone + to Calvary.” + </p> + <p> + The agitation was instantaneous. + </p> + <p> + “To Calvary!” exclaimed mother and son in one breath. + </p> + <p> + “Why?” It was Gordon who demanded. “A—a special occasion there—a + bishop or something?” + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid you must ask him,” she said. + </p> + <p> + She was delayed on the steps, first by Nan Ferguson, then by the Laureston + Greys, and her news outdistanced her to the porch. Charlotte Plimpton + looking very red and solid, her eyes glittering with excitement, blocked + her way. + </p> + <p> + “Alison?” she cried, in the slightly nasal voice that was a Gore + inheritance, “I'm told your father's gone to Calvary! Has Mr. Hodder + offended him? I heard rumours—Wallis seems to be afraid that + something has happened.” + </p> + <p> + “He hasn't said anything about it to me, Charlotte,” said Alison, in quiet + amusement, “but then he wouldn't, you know. I don't live here any longer, + and he has no reason to think that I would be interested in church + matters.” + </p> + <p> + “But—why did you come?” Charlotte demanded, with Gore naivete. + </p> + <p> + Alison smiled. + </p> + <p> + “You mean—what was my motive?” + </p> + <p> + Charlotte actually performed the miracle of getting redder. She was afraid + of Alison—much more afraid since she had known of her vogue in the + East. When Alison had put into execution the astounding folly (to the Gore + mind) of rejecting the inheritance of millions to espouse a profession, it + had been Charlotte Plimpton who led the chorus of ridicule and + disapproval. But success, to the Charlotte Plimptons, is its own + justification, and now her ambition (which had ramifications) was to have + Alison “do” her a garden. Incidentally, the question had flashed through + her mind as to how much Alison's good looks had helped towards her triumph + in certain shining circles. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, of course I didn't mean that,” she hastened to deny, although it was + exactly what she had meant. Her curiosity unsatisfied—and not likely + to be satisfied at once, she shifted abruptly to the other burning + subject. “I was so glad when I learned you hadn't gone. Grace Larrabbee's + garden is a dream, my dear. Wallis and I stopped there the other day and + the caretaker showed it to us. Can't you make a plan for me, so that I may + begin next spring? And there's something else I wanted to ask you. Wallis + and I are going to New York the end of the month. Shall you be there?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Alison, cautiously. + </p> + <p> + “We want so much to see one or two of your gardens on Long Island, and + especially the Sibleys', on the Hudson. I know it will be late in the + season,—but don't you think you could take us, Alison? And I intend + to give you a dinner. I'll write you a note. Here's Wallis.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, well, well,” said Mr. Plimpton, shaking Alison's hand. “Where's + father? I hear he's gone to Calvary.” + </p> + <p> + Alison made her escape. Inside the silent church, Eleanor Goodrich gave + her a smile and a pressure of welcome. Beside her, standing behind the + rear pew, were Asa Waring and—Mr. Bentley! Mr. Bentley returned to + St. John's! + </p> + <p> + “You have come!” Alison whispered. + </p> + <p> + He understood her. He took her hand in his and looked down into her + upturned face. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my dear,” he said, “and my girls have come Sally Grover and the + others, and some friends from Dalton Street and elsewhere.” + </p> + <p> + The news, the sound of this old gentleman's voice and the touch of his + hand suddenly filled her with a strange yet sober happiness. Asa Waring, + though he had not overheard, smiled at her too, as in sympathy. His + austere face was curiously illuminated, and she knew instinctively that in + some way he shared her happiness. Mr. Bentley had come back! Yes, it was + an augury. From childhood she had always admired Asa Waring, and now she + felt a closer tie.... + </p> + <p> + She reached the pew, hesitated an instant, and slipped forward on her + knees. Years had gone by since she had prayed, and even now she made no + attempt to translate into words the intensity of her yearning—for + what? Hodder's success, for one thing,—and by success she meant that + he might pursue an unfaltering course. True to her temperament, she did + not look for the downfall of the forces opposed to him. She beheld him + persecuted, yet unyielding, and was thus lifted to an exaltation that + amazed... If he could do it, such a struggle must sorely have an ultimate + meaning! Thus she found herself, trembling, on the borderland of faith... + </p> + <p> + She arose, bewildered, her pulses beating. And presently glancing about, + she took in that the church was fuller than she ever remembered having + seen it, and the palpitating suspense she felt seemed to pervade, as it + were, the very silence. With startling abruptness, the silence was broken + by the tones of the great organ that rolled and reverberated among the + arches; distant voices took up the processional; the white choir filed + past,—first the treble voices of the boys, then the deeper notes of + the—men,—turned and mounted the chancel steps, and then she + saw Hodder. Her pew being among the first, he passed very near her. Did he + know she would be there? The sternness of his profile told her nothing. He + seemed at that moment removed, set apart, consecrated—this was the + word that came to her, and yet she was keenly conscious of his presence. + </p> + <p> + Tingling, she found herself repeating, inwardly, two, lines of the hymn + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Lay hold on life, and it shall be + Thy joy and crown eternally.” + </pre> + <p> + “Lay hold on life!” + </p> + <p> + The service began,—the well-remembered, beautiful appeal and prayers + which she could still repeat, after a lapse of time, almost by heart; and + their music and rhythm, the simple yet magnificent language in which they + were clothed—her own language—awoke this morning a racial + instinct strong in her,—she had not known how strong. Or was it + something in Hodder's voice that seemed to illumine the ancient words with + a new meaning? Raising her eyes to the chancel she studied his head, and + found in it still another expression of that race, the history of which + had been one of protest, of development of its own character and + personality. Her mind went back to her first talk with him, in the garden, + and she saw how her intuition had recognized in him then the spirit of a + people striving to assert itself. + </p> + <p> + She stood with tightened lips, during the Apostles' Creed, listening to + his voice as it rose, strong and unfaltering, above the murmur of the + congregation. + </p> + <p> + At last she saw him swiftly crossing the chancel, mounting the pulpit + steps, and he towered above her, a dominant figure, his white surplice + sharply outlined against the dark stone of the pillar. The hymn died away, + the congregation sat down. There was a sound in the church, expectant, + presaging, like the stirring of leaves at the first breath of wind, and + then all was silent. + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + He had preached for an hour—longer, perhaps. Alison could not have + said how long. She had lost all sense of time. + </p> + <p> + No sooner had the text been spoken, “Except a man be born again, he cannot + see the Kingdom of God,” than she seemed to catch a fleeting glimpse of an + hitherto unimagined Personality. Hundreds of times she had heard those + words, and they had been as meaningless to her as to Nicodemus. But now—now + something was brought home to her of the magnificent certainty with which + they must first have been spoken, of the tone and bearing and authority of + him who had uttered them. Was Christ like that? And could it be a Truth, + after all, a truth only to be grasped by one who had experienced it? + </p> + <p> + It was in vain that man had tried to evade this, the supreme revelation of + Jesus Christ, had sought to substitute ceremonies and sacrifices for + spiritual rebirth. It was in vain that the Church herself had, from time + to time, been inclined to compromise. St. Paul, once the strict Pharisee + who had laboured for the religion of works, himself had been reborn into + the religion of the Spirit. It was Paul who had liberated that message of + rebirth, which the world has been so long in grasping, from the narrow + bounds of Palestine and sent it ringing down the ages to the democracies + of the twentieth century. + </p> + <p> + And even Paul, though not consciously inconsistent, could not rid himself + completely of that ancient, automatic, conception of religion which the + Master condemned, but had on occasions attempted fruitlessly to unite the + new with the old. And thus, for a long time, Christianity had been wrongly + conceived as history, beginning with what to Paul and the Jews was an + historical event, the allegory of the Garden of Eden, the fall of Adam, + and ending with the Jewish conception of the Atonement. This was a + rationalistic and not a spiritual religion. + </p> + <p> + The miracle was not the vision, whatever its nature, which Saul beheld on + the road to Damascus. The miracle was the result of that vision, the man + reborn. Saul, the persecutor of Christians, become Paul, who spent the + rest of his days, in spite of persecution and bodily infirmities, + journeying tirelessly up and down the Roman Empire, preaching the risen + Christ, and labouring more abundantly than they all! There was no miracle + in the New Testament more wonderful than this. + </p> + <p> + The risen Christ! Let us not trouble ourselves about the psychological + problems involved, problems which the first century interpreted in its own + simple way. Modern, science has taught us this much, at least, that we + have by no means fathomed the limits even of a transcendent personality. + If proofs of the Resurrection and Ascension were demanded, let them be + spiritual proofs, and there could be none more convincing than the life of + the transformed Saul, who had given to the modern, western world the + message of salvation.... + </p> + <p> + That afternoon, as Alison sat motionless on a distant hillside of the + Park, gazing across the tree-dotted, rolling country to the westward, she + recalled the breathless silence in the church when he had reached this + point and paused, looking down at the congregation. By the subtle + transmission of thought, of feeling which is characteristic at dramatic + moments of bodies of people, she knew that he had already contrived to + stir them to the quick. It was not so much that these opening words might + have been startling to the strictly orthodox, but the added fact that + Hodder had uttered them. The sensation in the pews, as Alison interpreted + it and exulted over it, was one of bewildered amazement that this was + their rector, the same man who had preached to them in June. Like Paul, of + whom he spoke, he too was transformed, had come to his own, radiating a + new power that seemed to shine in his face. + </p> + <p> + Still agitated, she considered that discourse now in her solitude, what it + meant for him, for her, for the Church and civilization that a clergyman + should have had the courage to preach it. He himself had seemed + unconscious of any courage; had never once—she recalled—been + sensational. He had spoken simply, even in the intensest moments of + denunciation. And she wondered now how he had managed, without stripping + himself, without baring the intimate, sacred experiences of his own soul, + to convey to them, so nobly, the change which had taken place in him.... + </p> + <p> + He began by referring to the hope with which he had come to St. John's, + and the gradual realization that the church was a failure—a dismal + failure when compared to the high ideal of her Master. By her fruits she + should be known and judged. From the first he had contemplated, with a + heavy heart, the sin and misery at their very gates. Not three blocks + distant children were learning vice in the streets, little boys of seven + and eight, underfed and anaemic, were driven out before dawn to sell + newspapers, little girls thrust forth to haunt the saloons and beg, while + their own children were warmed and fed. While their own daughters were + guarded, young women in Dayton Street were forced to sell themselves into + a life which meant slow torture, inevitable early death. Hopeless husbands + and wives were cast up like driftwood by the cruel, resistless flood of + modern civilization—the very civilization which yielded their wealth + and luxury. The civilization which professed the Spirit of Christ, and yet + was pitiless. + </p> + <p> + He confessed to them that for a long time he had been blind to the truth, + had taken the inherited, unchristian view that the disease which caused + vice and poverty might not be cured, though its ulcers might be + alleviated. He had not, indeed, clearly perceived and recognized the + disease. He had regarded Dalton Street in a very special sense as a + reproach to St. John's, but now he saw that all such neighbourhoods were + in reality a reproach to the city, to the state, to the nation. True + Christianity and Democracy were identical, and the congregation of St. + John's, as professed Christians and citizens, were doubly responsible, + inasmuch as they not only made no protest or attempt to change a + government which permitted the Dalton Streets to exist, but inasmuch also + as,—directly or indirectly,—they derived a profit from + conditions which were an abomination to God. It would be but an idle + mockery for them to go and build a settlement house, if they did not first + reform their lives. + </p> + <p> + Here there had been a decided stir among the pews. Hodder had not seemed + to notice it. + </p> + <p> + When he, their rector, had gone to Dalton Street to invite the poor and + wretched into God's Church, he was met by the scornful question: “Are the + Christians of the churches any better than we? Christians own the grim + tenements in which we live, the saloons and brothels by which we are + surrounded, which devour our children. Christians own the establishments + which pay us starvation wages; profit by politics, and take toll from our + very vice; evade the laws and reap millions, while we are sent to jail. Is + their God a God who will lift us out of our misery and distress? Are their + churches for the poor? Are not the very pews in which they sit as closed + to us as their houses?” + </p> + <p> + “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert + cold or hot.” + </p> + <p> + One inevitable conclusion of such a revelation was that he had not + preached to them the vital element of Christianity. And the very fact that + his presentation of religion had left many indifferent or dissatisfied was + proof-positive that he had dwelt upon non-essentials, laid emphasis upon + the mistaken interpretations of past ages. There were those within the + Church who were content with this, who—like the Pharisees of old—welcomed + a religion which did not interfere with their complacency, with their + pursuit of pleasure and wealth, with their special privileges; welcomed a + Church which didn't raise her voice against the manner of their lives—against + the order, the Golden Calf which they had set up, which did not accuse + them of deliberately retarding the coming of the Kingdom of God. + </p> + <p> + Ah, that religion was not religion, for religion was a spiritual, not a + material affair. In that religion, vainly designed by man as a compromise + between God and Mammon, there was none of the divine discontent of the + true religion of the Spirit, no need of the rebirth of the soul. And those + who held it might well demand, with Nicodemus and the rulers of the earth, + “How can these things be?” + </p> + <p> + And there were others who still lingered in the Church, perplexed and + wistful, who had come to him and confessed that the so-called catholic + acceptance of divine truths, on which he had hitherto dwelt, meant nothing + to them. To these, in particular, he owed a special reparation, and he + took this occasion to announce a series of Sunday evening sermons on the + Creeds. So long as the Creeds remained in the Prayer Book it was his duty + to interpret them in terms not only of modern thought, but in harmony with + the real significance of the Person and message of Jesus Christ. Those who + had come to him questioning, he declared, were a thousand times right in + refusing to accept the interpretations of other men, the consensus of + opinion of more ignorant ages, expressed in an ancient science and an + archaic philosophy. + </p> + <p> + And what should be said of the vast and ever increasing numbers of those + not connected with the Church, who had left it or were leaving it? and of + the less fortunate to whose bodily wants they had been ministering in the + parish house, for whom it had no spiritual message, and who never entered + its doors? The necessity of religion, of getting in touch with, of + dependence on the Spirit of the Universe was inherent in man, and yet + there were thousands—nay, millions in the nation to-day in whose + hearts was an intense and unsatisfied yearning, who perceived no meaning + in life, no Cause for which to work, who did not know what Christianity + was, who had never known what it was, who wist not where to turn to find + out. Education had brought many of them to discern, in the Church's + teachings, an anachronistic medley of myths and legends, of theories of + schoolmen and theologians, of surviving pagan superstitions which could + not be translated into life. They saw, in Christianity, only the + adulterations of the centuries. If any one needed a proof of the yearning + people felt, let him go to the bookshops, or read in the publishers' lists + to-day the announcements of books on religion. There was no supply where + there was no demand. + </p> + <p> + Truth might no longer be identified with Tradition, and the day was past + when councils and synods might determine it for all mankind. The era of + forced acceptance of philosophical doctrines and dogmas was past, and that + of freedom, of spiritual rebirth, of vicarious suffering, of willing + sacrifice and service for a Cause was upon them. That cause was Democracy. + Christ was uniquely the Son of God because he had lived and suffered and + died in order to reveal to the world the meaning of this life and of the + hereafter—the meaning not only for the individual, but for society + as well. Nothing might be added to or subtracted from that message—it + was complete. + </p> + <p> + True faith was simply trusting—trusting that Christ gave to the + world the revelation of God's plan. And the Saviour himself had pointed + out the proof: “If any man do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, + whether it be of God, or whether I speak for myself.” Christ had + repeatedly rebuked those literal minds which had demanded material + evidence: true faith spurned it, just as true friendship, true love + between man and man, true trust scorned a written bond. To paraphrase St. + James's words, faith without trust is dead—because faith without + trust is impossible. God is a Spirit, only to be recognized in the Spirit, + and every one of the Saviour's utterances were—not of the flesh, of + the man—but of the Spirit within him. “He that hath seen me hath + seen the Father;” and “Why callest thou me good? none is good save one, + that is, God.” The Spirit, the Universal Meaning of Life, incarnate in the + human Jesus. + </p> + <p> + To be born again was to overcome our spiritual blindness, and then, and + then only, we might behold the spirit shining in the soul of Christ. That + proof had sufficed for Mark, had sufficed for the writer of the sublime + Fourth Gospel, had sufficed for Paul. Let us lift this wondrous fact, once + and for all, out of the ecclesiastical setting and incorporate it into our + lives. Nor need the hearts of those who seek the Truth, who fear not to + face it, be troubled if they be satisfied, from the Gospels, that the + birth of Jesus was not miraculous. The physical never could prove the + spiritual, which was the real and everlasting, which no discovery in + science or history can take from us. The Godship of Christ rested upon no + dogma, it was a conviction born into us with the new birth. And it becomes + an integral part of our personality, our very being. + </p> + <p> + The secret, then, lay in a presentation of the divine message which would + convince and transform and electrify those who heard it to action—a + presentation of the message in terms which the age could grasp. That is + what Paul had done, he had drawn his figures boldly from the customs of + the life of his day, but a more or less intimate knowledge of these + ancient customs were necessary before modern men and women could + understand those figures and parallels. And the Church must awake to her + opportunities, to her perception of the Cause.... + </p> + <p> + What, then, was the function, the mission of the Church Universal? Once + she had laid claim to temporal power, believed herself to be the sole + agency of God on earth, had spoken ex cathedra on philosophy, history, + theology, and science, had undertaken to confer eternal bliss and to damn + forever. Her members, and even her priests, had gone from murder to mass + and from mass to murder, and she had engaged in cruel wars and + persecutions to curtail the liberties of mankind. Under that conception + religion was a form of insurance of the soul. Perhaps a common, universal + belief had been necessary in the dark ages before the sublime idea of + education for the masses had come; but the Church herself—through + ignorance—had opposed the growth of education, had set her face + sternly against the development of the individual, which Christ had + taught, the privilege of man to use the faculties of the intellect which + God had bestowed upon him. He himself, their rector, had advocated a + catholic acceptance, though much modified from the mediaeval acceptance,—one + that professed to go behind it to an earlier age. Yes, he must admit with + shame that he had been afraid to trust where God trusted, had feared to + confide the working out of the ultimate Truth of the minds of the + millions. + </p> + <p> + The Church had been monarchical in form, and some strove stubbornly and + blindly to keep her monarchical. Democracy in government was outstripping + her. Let them look around, to-day, and see what was happening in the + United States of America. A great movement was going on to transfer actual + participation in government from the few to the many,—a movement + towards true Democracy, and that was precisely what was about to happen in + the Church. Her condition at present was one of uncertainty, transition—she + feared to let go wholly of the old, she feared to embark upon the new. + Just as the conservatives and politicians feared to give up the + representative system, the convention, so was she afraid to abandon the + synod, the council, and trust to man. + </p> + <p> + The light was coming slowly, the change, the rebirth of the Church by + gradual evolution. By the grace of God those who had laid the foundations + of the Church in which he stood, of all Protestantism, had built for the + future. The racial instinct in them had asserted itself, had warned them + that to suppress freedom in religion were to suppress it in life, to + paralyze that individual initiative which was the secret of their + advancement. + </p> + <p> + The new Church Universal, then, would be the militant, aggressive body of + the reborn, whose mission it was to send out into the life of the nation + transformed men and women who would labour unremittingly for the Kingdom + of God. Unity would come—but unity in freedom, true Catholicity. The + truth would gradually pervade the masses—be wrought out by them. + Even the great evolutionary forces of the age, such as economic necessity, + were acting to drive divided Christianity into consolidation, and the + starving churches of country villages were now beginning to combine. + </p> + <p> + No man might venture to predict the details of the future organization of + the united Church, although St. Paul himself had sketched it in broad + outline: every worker, lay and clerical, labouring according to his gift, + teachers, executives, ministers, visitors, missionaries, healers of sick + and despondent souls. But the supreme function of the Church was to + inspire—to inspire individuals to willing service for the cause, the + Cause of Democracy, the fellowship of mankind. If she failed to inspire, + the Church would wither and perish. And therefore she must revive again + the race of inspirers, prophets, modern Apostles to whom this gift was + given, going on their rounds, awaking cities and arousing whole + country-sides. + </p> + <p> + But whence—it might be demanded by the cynical were the prophets to + come? Prophets could not be produced by training and education; prophets + must be born. Reborn,—that was the word. Let the Church have faith. + Once her Cause were perceived, once her whole energy were directed towards + its fulfilment, the prophets would arise, out of the East and out of the + West, to stir mankind to higher effort, to denounce fearlessly the + shortcomings and evils of the age. They had not failed in past ages, when + the world had fallen into hopelessness, indifference, and darkness. And + they would not fail now. + </p> + <p> + Prophets were personalities, and Phillips Brooks himself a prophet—had + defined personality as a conscious relationship with God. “All truth,” he + had said, “comes to the world through personality.” And down the ages had + come an Apostolic Succession of personalities. Paul, Augustine, Francis, + Dante, Luther, Milton,—yes, and Abraham Lincoln, and Phillips + Brooks, whose Authority was that of the Spirit, whose light had so shone + before men that they had glorified the Father which was in heaven; the + current of whose Power had so radiated, in ever widening circles, as to + make incandescent countless other souls. + </p> + <p> + And which among them would declare that Abraham Lincoln, like Stephen, had + not seen his Master in the sky? + </p> + <p> + The true prophet, the true apostle, then, was one inspired and directed by + the Spirit, the laying on of hands was but a symbol,—the symbol of + the sublime truth that one personality caught fire from another. Let the + Church hold fast to that symbol, as an acknowledgment, a reminder of a + supreme mystery. Tradition had its value when it did not deteriorate into + superstition, into the mechanical, automatic transmission characteristic + of the mediaeval Church, for the very suggestion of which Peter had + rebuked Simon in Samaria. For it would be remembered that Simon had said: + “Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive + the Holy Ghost.” + </p> + <p> + The true successor to the Apostles must be an Apostle himself. + </p> + <p> + Jesus had seldom spoken literally, and the truths he sought to impress + upon the world had of necessity been clothed in figures and symbols,—for + spiritual truths might be conveyed in no other way. The supreme proof of + his Godship, of his complete knowledge of the meaning of life was to be + found in his parables. To the literal, material mind, for example, the + parable of the talents was merely an unintelligible case of injustice.... + What was meant by the talents? They were opportunities for service. + Experience taught us that when we embraced one opportunity, one + responsibility, the acceptance of it invariably led to another, and so the + servant who had five talents, five opportunities, gained ten. The servant + who had two gained two more. But the servant of whom only one little + service was asked refused that, and was cast into outer darkness, to + witness another performing the task which should have been his. Hell, here + and hereafter, was the spectacle of wasted opportunity, and there is no + suffering to compare to it. + </p> + <p> + The crime, the cardinal sin was with those who refused to serve, who shut + their eyes to the ideal their Lord had held up, who strove to compromise + with Jesus Christ himself, to twist and torture his message to suit their + own notions as to how life should be led; to please God and Mammon at the + same time, to bind Christ's Church for their comfort and selfish + convenience. Of them it was written, that they shut up the Kingdom of + Heaven against men; for they neither go in themselves, neither suffer them + that are entering to go in. Were these any better than the people who had + crucified the Lord for his idealism, and because he had not brought them + the material Kingdom for which they longed? + </p> + <p> + That servant who had feared to act, who had hid his talent in the ground, + who had said unto his lord, “I knew thee that thou art an hard man, + reaping where thou hadst not sown,” was the man without faith, the atheist + who sees only cruelty and indifference in the order of things, who has no + spiritual sight. But to the other servants it was said, “Thou halt been + faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter + thou into the joy of thy lord.” + </p> + <p> + The meaning of life, then, was service, and by life our Lord did not mean + mere human existence, which is only a part of life. The Kingdom of heaven + is a state, and may begin here. And that which we saw around us was only + one expression of that eternal life—a medium to work through, + towards God. All was service, both here and hereafter, and he that had not + discovered that the joy of service was the only happiness worth living for + could have no conception of the Kingdom. To those who knew, there was no + happiness like being able to say, “I have found my place in God's plan, I + am of use.” Such was salvation.... + </p> + <p> + And in the parable of the Prodigal Son may be read the history of what are + known as the Protestant nations. What happens logically when the + individual is suddenly freed from the restraint of external authority + occurred when Martin Luther released the vital spark of Christianity, + which he got from Paul, and from Christ himself—the revelation of + individual responsibility, that God the Spirit would dwell, by grace, in + the individual soul. Ah, we had paid a terrible yet necessary price for + freedom. We had wandered far from the Father, we had been reduced to the + very husks of individualism, become as swine. We beheld around us, to-day, + selfishness, ruthless competition, as great contrasts between misery and + luxury as in the days of the Roman Empire. But should we, for that reason, + return to the leading-strings of authority? Could we if we would? A little + thought ought to convince us that the liberation of the individual could + not be revoked, that it had forever destroyed the power of authority to + carry conviction. To go back to the Middle Ages would be to deteriorate + and degenerate. No, we must go on.... + </p> + <p> + Luther's movement, in religion, had been the logical forerunner of + democracy, of universal suffrage in government, the death-knell of that + misinterpretation of Christianity as the bulwark of monarchy and hierarchy + had been sounded when he said, “Ich kann nicht anders!” The new Republic + founded on the western continent had announced to the world the initiation + of the transfer of Authority to the individual soul. God, the counterpart + of the King, the ruler in a high heaven of a flat terrestrial expanse, + outside of the world, was now become the Spirit of a million spheres, the + indwelling spirit in man. Democracy and the religion of Jesus Christ both + consisted in trusting the man—yes, and the woman—whom God + trusts. Christianity was individualism carried beyond philosophy into + religion, and the Christian, the ideal citizen of the democracy, was free + since he served not because he had to, but because he desired to of his + own will, which, paradoxically, is God's will. God was in politics, to the + confusion of politicians; God in government. And in some greater and + higher sense than we had yet perceived, the saying 'vox populi vox dei' + was eternally true. He entered into the hearts of people and moved them, + and so the world progressed. It was the function of the Church to make + Christians, until—when the Kingdom of God should come—the + blending should be complete. Then Church and State would be identical, + since all the members of the one would be the citizens of the other.... + </p> + <p> + “I will arise and go to my father.” Rebirth! A sense of responsibility, of + consecration. So we had come painfully through our materialistic + individualism, through our selfish Protestantism, to a glimpse of the true + Protestantism—Democracy. + </p> + <p> + Our spiritual vision was glowing clearer. We were beginning to perceive + that charity did not consist in dispensing largesse after making a fortune + at the expense of one's fellow-men; that there was something still wrong + in a government that permits it. It was gradually becoming plain to us, + after two thousand years, that human bodies and souls rotting in tenements + were more valuable than all the forests on all the hills; that government, + Christian government, had something to do with these. + </p> + <p> + We should embody, in government, those sublime words of the Master, + “Suffer little children to come unto me.” And the government of the future + would care for the little children. We were beginning to do it. Here, as + elsewhere, Christianity and reason went hand in hand, for the child became + the man who either preyed on humanity and filled the prisons and robbed + his fellows, or else grew into a useful, healthy citizen. It was nothing + less than sheer folly as well as inhuman cruelty to let the children sleep + in crowded, hot rooms, reeking with diseases, and run wild throughout the + long summer, learning vice in the city streets. And we still had slavery—economic + slavery—yes, and the more horrible slavery of women and young girls + in vice—as much a concern of government as the problem which had + confronted it in 1861.... We were learning that there was something + infinitely more sacred than property.... + </p> + <p> + And now Alison recalled, only to be thrilled again by an electric + sensation she had never before experienced with such intensity, the look + of inspiration on the preacher's face as he closed. The very mists of the + future seemed to break before his importuning gaze, and his eyes seemed + indeed to behold, against the whitening dawn of the spiritual age he + predicted, the slender spires of a new Church sprung from the foundations + of the old. A Church, truly catholic, tolerant, whose portals were wide in + welcome to all mankind. The creative impulse, he had declared, was + invariably religious, the highest art but the expression of the mute + yearnings of a people, of a race. Thus had once arisen, all over Europe, + those wonderful cathedrals which still cast their spell upon the world, + and art to-day would respond—was responding—to the unutterable + cravings of mankind, would strive once more to express in stone and glass + and pigment what nations felt. Generation after generation would labour + with unflagging zeal until the art sculptured fragment of the new + Cathedral—the new Cathedral of Democracy—pointed upward toward + the blue vault of heaven. Such was his vision—God the Spirit, + through man reborn, carrying out his great Design... + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII. “WHICH SAY TO THE SEERS, SEE NOT” + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + As Alison arose from her knees and made her way out of the pew, it was the + expression on Charlotte Plimpton's face which brought her back once more + to a sense of her surroundings; struck her, indeed, like a physical blow. + The expression was a scandalized one. Mrs. Plimpton had moved towards her, + as if to speak, but Alison hurried past, her exaltation suddenly + shattered, replaced by a rising tide of resentment, of angry amazement + against a materialism so solid as to remain unshaken by the words which + had so uplifted her. Eddies were forming in the aisle as the people + streamed slowly out of the church, and snatches of their conversation, in + undertones, reached her ears. + </p> + <p> + “I should never have believed it!” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder, of all men...” + </p> + <p> + “The bishop!” + </p> + <p> + Outside the swinging doors, in the vestibule, the voices were raised a + little, and she found her path blocked. + </p> + <p> + “It's incredible!” she heard Gordon Atterbury saying to little Everett + Constable, who was listening gloomily. + </p> + <p> + “Sheer Unitarianism, socialism, heresy.” + </p> + <p> + His attention was forcibly arrested by Alison, in whose cheeks bright + spots of colour burned. He stepped aside, involuntarily, apologetically, + as though he had instinctively read in her attitude an unaccountable + disdain. Everett Constable bowed uncertainly, for Alison scarcely noticed + them. + </p> + <p> + “Ahem!” said Gordon, nervously, abandoning his former companion and + joining her, “I was just saying, it's incredible—” + </p> + <p> + She turned on him. + </p> + <p> + “It is incredible,” she cried, “that persons who call themselves + Christians cannot recognize their religion when they hear it preached.” + </p> + <p> + He gave back before her, visibly, in an astonishment which would have been + ludicrous but for her anger. He had never understood her—such had + been for him her greatest fascination;—and now she was less + comprehensible than ever. The time had been when he would cheerfully have + given over his hope of salvation to have been able to stir her. He had + never seen her stirred, and the sight of her even now in this condition + was uncomfortably agitating. Of all things, an heretical sermon would + appear to have accomplished this miracle! + </p> + <p> + “Christianity!” he stammered. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Christianity.” Her voice tingled. “I don't pretend to know much + about it, but Mr. Hodder has at least made it plain that it is something + more than dead dogmas, ceremonies, and superstitions.” + </p> + <p> + He would have said something, but her one thought was to escape, to be + alone. These friends of her childhood were at that moment so distasteful + as to have become hateful. Some one laid a hand upon her arm. + </p> + <p> + “Can't we take you home, Alison? I don't see your motor.” + </p> + <p> + It was Mrs. Constable. + </p> + <p> + “No, thanks—I'm going to walk,” Alison answered, yet something in + Mrs. Constable's face, in Mrs. Constable's voice, made her pause. + Something new, something oddly sympathetic. Their eyes met, and Alison saw + that the other woman's were tired, almost haggard—yet understanding. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder was right—a thousand times right, my dear,” she said. + </p> + <p> + Alison could only stare at her, and the crimson in the bright spots of her + cheeks spread over her face. Why had Mrs. Constable supposed that she + would care to hear the sermon praised? But a second glance put her in + possession of the extraordinary fact that Mrs. Constable herself was + profoundly moved. + </p> + <p> + “I knew he would change,” she went on, “I have seen for some time that he + was too big a man not to change. But I had no conception that he would + have such power, and such courage, as he has shown this morning. It is not + only that he dared to tell us what we were—smaller men might have + done that, and it is comparatively easy to denounce. But he has the vision + to construct, he is a seer himself—he has really made me see what + Christianity is. And as long as I live I shall never forget those closing + sentences.” + </p> + <p> + “And now?” asked Alison. “And now what will happen?” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Constable changed colour. Her tact, on which she prided herself, had + deserted her in a moment of unlooked-for emotion. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I know that my father and the others will try to put him out—but + can they?” Alison asked. + </p> + <p> + It was Mrs. Constable's turn to stare. The head she suddenly and + impulsively put forth trembled on Alison's wrist. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, Alison—I'm afraid they can. It is too terrible to + think about.... And they can't—they won't believe that many changes + are coming, that this is but one of many signs... Do come and see me.” + </p> + <p> + Alison left her, marvelling at the passage between them, and that, of all + persons in the congregation of St. John's, the lightning should have + struck Mrs. Constable... + </p> + <p> + Turning to the right on Burton Street, she soon found herself walking + rapidly westward through deserted streets lined by factories and + warehouses, and silent in the Sabbath calm.... She thought of Hodder, she + would have liked to go to him in that hour.... + </p> + <p> + In Park Street, luncheon was half over, and Nelson Langmaid was at the + table with her father. The lawyer glanced at her curiously as she entered + the room, and his usual word of banter, she thought, was rather lame. The + two went on, for some time, discussing a railroad suit in Texas. And + Alison, as she hurried through her meal, leaving the dishes almost + untouched, scarcely heard them. Once, in her reverie, her thoughts + reverted to another Sunday when Hodder had sat, an honoured guest, in the + chair which Mr. Langmaid now occupied.... + </p> + <p> + It was not until they got up from the table that her father turned to her. + </p> + <p> + “Did you have a good sermon?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + It was the underlying note of challenge to which she responded. + </p> + <p> + “The only good sermon I have ever heard.” + </p> + <p> + Their eyes met. Langmaid looked down at the tip of his cigar. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder,” said Eldon Parr, “is to be congratulated.” + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Hodder, when the service was over, had sought the familiar recess in the + robing-room, the words which he himself had spoken still ringing in his + ears. And then he recalled the desperate prayer with which he had entered + the pulpit, that it might be given him in that hour what to say: the vivid + memories of the passions and miseries in Dalton Street, the sudden, hot + response of indignation at the complacency confronting him. His voice had + trembled with anger.... He remembered, as he had paused in his + denunciation of these who had eyes and saw not, meeting the upturned look + of Alison Parr, and his anger had turned to pity for their blindness—which + once had been his own; and he had gone on and on, striving to interpret + for them his new revelation of the message of the Saviour, to impress upon + them the dreadful yet sublime meaning of life eternal. And it was in that + moment the vision of the meaning of the evolution of his race, of the + Prodigal turning to responsibility—of which he once had had a + glimpse—had risen before his eyes in its completeness—the + guiding hand of God in history! The Spirit in these complacent souls, as + yet unstirred.... + </p> + <p> + So complete, now, was his forgetfulness of self, of his future, of the + irrevocable consequences of the step he had taken, that it was only + gradually he became aware that some one was standing near him, and with a + start he recognized McCrae. + </p> + <p> + “There are some waiting to speak to ye,” his assistant said. + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” Hodder exclaimed. He began, mechanically, to divest himself of his + surplice. McCrae stood by. + </p> + <p> + “I'd like to say a word, first—if ye don't mind—” he began. + </p> + <p> + The rector looked at him quickly. + </p> + <p> + “I'd like just to thank ye for that sermon—I can say no more now,” + said McCrae; he turned away, and left the room abruptly. + </p> + <p> + This characteristic tribute from the inarticulate, loyal Scotchman left + him tingling.... He made his way to the door and saw the people in the + choir room, standing silently, in groups, looking toward him. Some one + spoke to him, and he recognized Eleanor Goodrich. + </p> + <p> + “We couldn't help coming, Mr. Hodder—just to tell you how much we + admire you. It was wonderful, what you said.” + </p> + <p> + He grew hot with gratitude, with thankfulness that there were some who + understood—and that this woman was among them, and her husband... + Phil Goodrich took him by the hand. + </p> + <p> + “I can understand that kind of religion,” he said. “And, if necessary, I + can fight for it. I have come to enlist.” + </p> + <p> + “And I can understand it, too,” added the sunburned Evelyn. “I hope you + will let me help.” + </p> + <p> + That was all they said, but Hodder understood. Eleanor Goodrich's eyes + were dimmed as she smiled an her sister and her husband—a smile that + bespoke the purest quality of pride. And it was then, as they made way for + others, that the full value of their allegiance was borne in upon him, and + he grasped the fact that the intangible barrier which had separated him + from them had at last been broken down: His look followed the square + shoulders and aggressive, close-cropped head of Phil Goodrich, the firm, + athletic figure of Evelyn, who had represented to him an entire class of + modern young women, vigorous, athletic, with a scorn of cant in which he + secretly sympathized, hitherto frankly untouched by spiritual interests of + any sort. She had, indeed, once bluntly told him that church meant nothing + to her.... + </p> + <p> + In that little company gathered in the choir room were certain members of + his congregation whom, had he taken thought, he would least have expected + to see. There were Mr. and Mrs. Bradley, an elderly couple who had + attended St. John's for thirty years; and others of the same unpretentious + element of his parish who were finding in modern life an increasingly + difficult and bewildering problem. There was little Miss Tallant, an + assiduous guild worker whom he had thought the most orthodox of persons; + Miss Ramsay, who taught the children of the Italian mothers; Mr. Carton, + the organist, a professed free-thinker, with whom Hodder had had many a + futile argument; and Martha Preston, who told him that he had made her + think about religion seriously for the first time in her life. + </p> + <p> + And there were others, types equally diverse. Young men of the choir, and + others whom he had never seen, who informed him shyly that they would come + again, and bring their friends.... + </p> + <p> + And all the while, in the background, Hodder had been aware of a familiar + face—Horace Bentley's. Beside him, when at length he drew near, was + his friend Asa Waring—a strangely contrasted type. The + uncompromising eyes of a born leader of men flashed from beneath the heavy + white eyebrows, the button of the Legion of Honour gleaming in his + well-kept coat seemed emblematic of the fire which in his youth had driven + him forth to fight for the honour of his country—a fire still + undimmed. It was he who spoke first. + </p> + <p> + “This is a day I never expected to see, Mr. Hodder,” he said, “for it has + brought back to this church the man to whom it owes its existence. Mr. + Bentley did more, by his labour and generosity, his true Christianity, his + charity and his wisdom, for St. John's than any other individual. It is + you who have brought him back, and I wish personally to express my + gratitude.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley, in mild reproof, laid his hand upon the t, shoulder of his + old friend. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, Asa,” he protested, “you shouldn't say such things.” + </p> + <p> + “Had it not been for Mr. Bentley,” Hodder explained, “I should not be here + to-day.” + </p> + <p> + Asa Waring pierced the rector with his eye, appreciating the genuine + feeling with which these words were spoken. And yet his look contained a + question. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Bentley,” Hodder added, “has been my teacher this summer.” + </p> + <p> + The old gentleman's hand trembled a little on the goldheaded stick. + </p> + <p> + “It is a matter of more pride to me than I can express, sir, that you are + the rector of this church with which my most cherished memories are + associated,” he said. “But I cannot take any part of the credit you give + me for the splendid vision which you have raised up before us to-day, for + your inspired interpretation of history, of the meaning of our own times. + You have moved me, you have given me more hope and courage than I have had + for many a long year—and I thank you, Mr. Hodder. I am sure that God + will prosper and guide you in what you have so nobly undertaken.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley turned away, walking towards the end of the room.... Asa + Waring broke the silence. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't know that you knew him, that you had seen what he is doing—what + he has done in this city. I cannot trust myself, Mr. Hodder, to speak of + Horace Bentley's life... I feel too strongly on the subject. I have + watched, year by year, this detestable spirit of greed, this lust for + money and power creeping over our country, corrupting our people and + institutions, and finally tainting the Church itself. You have raised your + voice against it, and I respect and honour and thank you for it, the more + because you have done it without resorting to sensation, and apparently + with no thought of yourself. And, incidentally, you have explained the + Christian religion to me as I have never had it explained in my life. + </p> + <p> + “I need not tell you you have made enemies—powerful ones. I can see + that you are a man, and that you are prepared for them. They will leave no + stone unturned, will neglect no means to put you out and disgrace you. + They will be about your ears to-morrow—this afternoon, perhaps. I + need not remind you that the outcome is doubtful. But I came here to + assure you of my friendship and support in all you hope to accomplish in + making the Church what it should be. In any event, what you have done + to-day will be productive of everlasting good.” + </p> + <p> + In a corner still lingered the group which Mr. Bentley had joined. And + Hodder, as he made his way towards it, recognized the faces of some of + those who composed it. Sally Grower was there, and the young women who + lived in Mr. Bentley's house, and others whose acquaintance he had made + during the summer. Mrs. Garvin had brought little Dicky, incredibly + changed from the wan little figure he had first beheld in the stifling + back room in Dalton Street; not yet robust, but freckled and tanned by the + country sun and wind. The child, whom he had seen constantly in the + interval, ran forward joyfully, and Hodder bent down to take his hand.... + </p> + <p> + These were his friends, emblematic of the new relationship in which he + stood to mankind. And he owed them to Horace Bentley! He wondered, as he + greeted them, whether they knew what their allegiance meant to him in this + hour. But it sufficed that they claimed him as their own. + </p> + <p> + Behind them all stood Kate Marcy. And it struck him for the first time, as + he gazed at her earnestly, how her appearance had changed. She gave him a + frightened, bewildered look, as though she were unable to identify him now + with the man she had known in the Dalton Street flat, in the restaurant. + She was still struggling, groping, wondering, striving to accustom herself + to the higher light of another world. + </p> + <p> + “I wanted to come,” she faltered. “Sally Grower brought me...” + </p> + <p> + Hodder went back with them to Dalton Street. His new ministry had begun. + And on this, the first day of it, it was fitting that he should sit at the + table of Horace Bentley, even as on that other Sunday, two years agone, he + had gone to the home of the first layman of the diocese, Eldon Parr. + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + The peace of God passes understanding because sorrow and joy are mingled + therein, sorrow and joy and striving. And thus the joy of emancipation may + be accompanied by a heavy heart. The next morning, when Hodder entered his + study, he sighed as his eye fell upon the unusual pile of letters on his + desk, for their writers had once been his friends. The inevitable breach + had come at last. + </p> + <p> + Most of the letters, as he had anticipated, were painful reading. And the + silver paper-cutter with which he opened the first had been a Christmas + present from Mrs. Burlingame, who had penned it, a lady of signal devotion + to the church, who for many years had made it her task to supply and + arrange the flowers on the altar. He had amazed and wounded her—she + declared—inexpressibly, and she could no longer remain at St. John's—for + the present, at least. A significant addition. He dropped the letter, and + sat staring out of the window... presently arousing himself, setting + himself resolutely to the task of reading the rest. + </p> + <p> + In the mood in which he found himself he did not atop to philosophize on + the rigid yet sincere attitude of the orthodox. His affection for many of + them curiously remained, though it was with some difficulty he strove to + reconstruct a state of mind with which he had once agreed. If Christianity + were to sweep on, these few unbending but faithful ones must be + sacrificed: such was the law... Many, while repudiating his new beliefs—or + unbeliefs!—added, to their regrets of the change in him, + protestations of a continued friendship, a conviction of his sincerity. + Others like Mrs. Atterbury, were frankly outraged and bitter. The contents + of one lilac-bordered envelope brought to his eyes a faint smile. Did he + know—asked the sender of this—could he know the consternation + he had caused in so many persons, including herself? What was she to + believe? And wouldn't he lunch with her on Thursday? + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Ferguson's letter brought another smile—more thoughtful. Her + incoherent phrases had sprung from the heart, and the picture rose before + him of the stout but frightened, good-natured lady who had never + accustomed herself to the enjoyment of wealth and luxury. Mr. Ferguson was + in such a state, and he must please not tell her husband that she had + written. Yet much in his sermon had struck her as so true. It seemed wrong + to her to have so much, and others so little! And he had made her remember + many things in her early life she had forgotten. She hoped he would see + Mr. Ferguson, and talk to him.... + </p> + <p> + Then there was Mrs. Constable's short note, that troubled and puzzled him. + This, too, had in it an undercurrent of fear, and the memory came to him + of the harrowing afternoon he had once spent with her, when she would have + seemed to have predicted the very thing which had now happened to him. And + yet not that thing. He divined instinctively that a maturer thought on the + subject of his sermon had brought on an uneasiness as the full + consequences of this new teaching had dawned upon her consequences which + she had not foreseen when she had foretold the change. And he seemed to + read between the lines that the renunciation he demanded was too great. + Would he not let her come and talk to him?... + </p> + <p> + Miss Brewer, a lady of no inconsiderable property, was among those who + told him plainly that if he remained they would have to give up their + pews. Three or four communications were even more threatening. Mr. Alpheus + Gore, Mrs. Plimpton's brother, who at five and forty had managed to triple + his share of the Gore inheritance, wrote that it would be his regretful + duty to send to the bishop an Information on the subject of Mr. Hodder's + sermon. + </p> + <p> + There were, indeed, a few letters which he laid, thankfully, in a pile by + themselves. These were mostly from certain humble members of his parish + who had not followed their impulses to go to him after the service, or + from strangers who had chanced to drop into the church. Some were + autobiographical, such as those of a trained nurse, a stenographer, a + hardware clerk who had sat up late Sunday night to summarize what that + sermon had meant to him, how a gray and hopeless existence had taken on a + new colour. Next Sunday he would bring a friend who lived in the same + boarding house.... Hodder read every word of these, and all were in the + same strain: at last they could perceive a meaning to religion, an + application of it to such plodding lives as theirs.... + </p> + <p> + One or two had not understood, but had been stirred, and were coming to + talk to him. Another was filled with a venomous class hatred.... + </p> + <p> + The first intimation he had of the writer of another letter seemed from + the senses rather than the intellect. A warm glow suffused him, mounted to + his temples as he stared at the words, turned over the sheet, and read at + the bottom the not very legible signature. The handwriting, by no means + classic, became then and there indelibly photographed on his brain, and + summed up for him the characteristics, the warring elements in Alison + Parr. “All afternoon,” she wrote, “I have been thinking of your sermon. It + was to me very wonderful—it lifted me out of myself. And oh, I want + so much to believe unreservedly what you expressed so finely, that + religion is democracy, or the motive power behind democracy—the + service of humanity by the reborn. I understand it intellectually. I am + willing to work for such a Cause, but there is something in me so hard + that I wonder if it can dissolve. And then I am still unable to identify + that Cause with the Church as at present constituted, with the dogmas and + ceremonies that still exist. I am too thorough a radical to have your + patience. And I am filled with rage—I can think of no milder word—on + coming in contact with the living embodiments of that old creed, who hold + its dogmas so precious. 'Which say to the seers, See not; and to the + prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, + prophesy deceits.'” + </p> + <p> + “You see, I have been reading Isaiah, and when I came to that paragraph it + seemed so appropriate. These people have always existed. And will they not + always continue to exist? I wish I could believe, wholly and unreservedly, + that this class, always preponderant in the world, could be changed, + diminished—done away with in a brighter future! I can, at least, + sympathize with Isaiah's wrath. + </p> + <p> + “What you said of the longing, the yearning which exists to-day amongst + the inarticulate millions moved me most—and of the place of art in + religion, to express that yearning. Religion the motive power of art, and + art, too, service. 'Consider the lilies of the field.' You have made it, + at least, all-comprehensive, have given me a new point of view for which I + can never be sufficiently grateful—and at a time when I needed it + desperately. That you have dared to do what you have done has been and + will be an inspiration, not only to myself, but to many others. This, is a + longer letter, I believe, than I have ever written in my life. But I + wanted you to know.” + </p> + <p> + He reread it twice, pondering over its phrases. “A new point of view.... + at a time when I needed it desperately.” It was not until then that he + realized the full intensity of his desire for some expression from her + since the moment he had caught sight of her in the church. But he had not + been prepared for the unreserve, the impulsiveness with which she had + actually written. Such was his agitation that he did not heed, at first, a + knock on the door, which was repeated. He thrust the letter inside his + coat as the janitor of the parish house appeared. + </p> + <p> + “There is a gentleman to see you, sir, in the office,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Hodder went down the stairs. And he anticipated, from the light yet + nervous pacing that he heard on the bare floor, that the visitor was none + other than his vestryman, Mr. Gordon Atterbury. The sight of the + gentleman's spruce figure confirmed the guess. + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, Mr. Atterbury,” he said as he entered. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Atterbury stopped in his steps, as if he had heard a shot. + </p> + <p> + “Ah—good morning, Mr. Hodder. I stopped in on my way to the office.” + </p> + <p> + “Sit down,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Atterbury sat down, but with the air of a man who does so under + protest, who had not intended to. He was visibly filled and almost + quivering with an excitement which seemed to demand active expression, and + which the tall clergyman's physical calm and self-possession seemed to + augment. For a moment Mr. Atterbury stared at the rector as he sat behind + his desk. Then he cleared his throat. + </p> + <p> + “I thought of writing to you, Mr. Hodder. My mother, I believe, has done + so. But it seemed to me, on second thought, better to come to you direct.” + </p> + <p> + The rector nodded, without venturing to remark on the wisdom of the + course. + </p> + <p> + “It occurred to me,” Mr. Atterbury went on, “that possibly some things I + wish to discuss might—ahem be dispelled in a conversation. That I + might conceivably have misunderstood certain statements in your sermon of + yesterday.” + </p> + <p> + “I tried,” said the rector, “to be as clear as possible.” + </p> + <p> + “I thought you might not fully have realized the effect of what you said. + I ought to tell you, I think, that as soon as I reached home I wrote out, + as accurately as I could from memory, the gist of your remarks. And I must + say frankly, although I try to put it mildly, that they appear to + contradict and controvert the doctrines of the Church.” + </p> + <p> + “Which doctrines?” Hodder asked. + </p> + <p> + Gordon Atterbury sputtered. + </p> + <p> + “Which doctrines?” he repeated. “Can it be possible that you misunderstand + me? I might refer you to those which you yourself preached as late as last + June, in a sermon which was one of the finest and most scholarly efforts I + ever heard.” + </p> + <p> + “It was on that day, Mr. Atterbury,” replied the rector, with a touch of + sadness in his voice, “I made the discovery that fine and scholarly + efforts were not Christianity.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean?” Mr. Atterbury demanded. + </p> + <p> + “I mean that they do not succeed in making Christians.” + </p> + <p> + “And by that you imply that the members of your congregation, those who + have been brought up and baptized and confirmed in this church, are not + Christians?” + </p> + <p> + “I am sorry to say a great many of them are not,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + “In other words, you affirm that the sacrament of baptism is of no + account.” + </p> + <p> + “I affirm that baptism with water is not sufficient.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid that this is very grave,” Mr. Hodder. + </p> + <p> + “I quite agree with you,” replied the rector, looking straight at his + vestryman. + </p> + <p> + “And I understood,—” the other went on, clearing his throat once + more, “I think I have it correctly stated in my notes, but I wish to be + quite clear, that you denied the doctrine of the virgin birth.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder made a strong effort to control himself. + </p> + <p> + “What I have said I have said,” he answered, “and I have said it in the + hope that it might make some impression upon the lives of those to whom I + spoke. You were one of them, Mr. Atterbury. And if I repeat and amplify my + meaning now, it must be understood that I have no other object except that + of putting you in the way of seeing that the religion of Christ is unique + in that it is dependent upon no doctrine or dogma, upon no external or + material sign or proof or authority whatever. I am utterly indifferent to + any action you may contemplate taking concerning me. Read your four + Gospels carefully. If we do not arrive, through contemplation of our + Lord's sojourn on this earth, of his triumph over death, of his message—which + illuminates the meaning of our lives here—at that inner spiritual + conversion of which he continually speaks, and which alone will give us + charity, we are not Christians.” + </p> + <p> + “But the doctrines of the Church, which we were taught from childhood to + believe? The doctrines which you once professed, and of which you have now + made such an unlooked-for repudiation!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I have changed,” said the rector, gazing seriously at the twitching + figure of his vestryman, “I was bound, body and soul, by those very + doctrines.” He roused himself. “But on what grounds do you declare, Mr. + Atterbury,” he demanded, somewhat sternly, “that this church is fettered + by an ancient and dogmatic conception of Christianity? Where are you to + find what are called the doctrines of the Church? What may be heresy in + one diocese is not so in another, and I can refer to you volumes written + by ministers of this Church, in good standing, whose published opinions + are the same as those I expressed in my sermon of yesterday. The very + cornerstone of the Church is freedom, but many have yet to discover this, + and we have held in our Communion men of such divergent views as Dr. Pusey + and Phillips Brooks. Mr. Newman, in his Tract Ninety, which was sincerely + written, showed that the Thirty-nine Articles were capable of almost any + theological interpretation. From what authoritative source are we to draw + our doctrines? In the baptismal service the articles of belief are stated + to be in the Apostles' Creed, but nowhere—in this Church is it + defined how their ancient language is to be interpreted. That is wisely + left to the individual. Shall we interpret the Gospels by the Creeds, + which in turn purport to be interpretations of the Gospels? Or shall we + draw our conclusions as to what the Creeds may mean to us by pondering on + the life of Christ, and striving to do his will? 'The letter killeth, but + the Spirit maketh alive.'” + </p> + <p> + Hodder rose, and stood facing his visitor squarely. He spoke slowly, and + the fact that he made no gesture gave all the more force to his words. + </p> + <p> + “Hereafter, Mr. Atterbury,” he added, “so long as I am rector of this + church, I am going to do my best to carry out the spirit of Christ's + teaching—to make Christians. And there shall be no more compromise, + so far as I can help it.” + </p> + <p> + Gordon Atterbury had grown very pale. He, too, got to his feet. + </p> + <p> + “I—I cannot trust myself to discuss this matter with you any + further, Mr. Hodder. I feel too deeply—too strongly on the subject. + I do not pretend to account for this astonishing transformation in your + opinions. Up to the present I have deemed St. John's fortunate—peculiarly + fortunate, in having you for its rector. I am bound to say I think you + have not considered, in this change of attitude on your part, those who + have made St. John's what it is, who through long and familiar association + are bound to it by a thousand ties,—those who, like myself, have + what may be called a family interest in this church. My father and mother + were married here, I was baptized here. I think I may go so far as to add, + Mr. Hodder, that this is our church, the church which a certain group of + people have built in which to worship God, as was their right. Nor do I + believe we can be reproached with a lack of hospitality or charity. We + maintain this parish house, with its clubs; and at no small inconvenience + to ourselves we have permitted the church to remain in this district. + There is no better church music in this city, and we have a beautiful + service in the evening at which, all pews are free. It is not unreasonable + that we should have something to say concerning the doctrine to be + preached here, that we should insist that that doctrine be in accordance + with what we have always believed was the true doctrine as received by + this Church.” + </p> + <p> + Up to this point Mr. Atterbury had had a feeling that he had not carried + out with much distinction the programme which he had so carefully + rehearsed on the way to the parish house. Hodder's poise had amazed and + baffled him—he had expected to find the rector on the defensive. But + now, burning anew with a sense of injustice, he had a sense at last of + putting his case strongly. + </p> + <p> + The feeling of triumph, however, was short lived. Hodder did not reply at + once. So many seconds, indeed, went by that Mr. Atterbury began once more + to grow slightly nervous under the strange gaze to which he was subjected. + And when the clergyman' spoke there was no anger in his voice, but a + quality—a feeling which was disturbing, and difficult to define. + </p> + <p> + “You are dealing now, Mr. Atterbury,” he said, “with the things of Caesar, + not of God. This church belongs to God—not to you. But you have + consecrated it to him. His truth, as Christ taught it, must not be + preached to suit any man's convenience. When you were young you were not + taught the truth—neither was I. It was mixed with adulterations + which obscured and almost neutralized it. But I intend to face it now, and + to preach it, and not the comfortable compromise which gives us the + illusion that we are Christians because we subscribe to certain tenets, + and permits us to neglect our Christian duties. + </p> + <p> + “And since you have spoken of charity, let me assure you that there is no + such thing as charity without the transforming, personal touch. It isn't + the bread or instruction or amusement we give people vicariously, but the + effect of our gift—even if that gift be only a cup of cold water—in + illuminating and changing their lives. And it will avail any church little + to have a dozen settlement houses while her members acquiesce in a State + which refuses to relieve her citizens from sickness and poverty. Charity + bends down only to lift others up. And with all our works, our expenditure + and toil, how many have we lifted up?” + </p> + <p> + Gordon Atterbury's indignation got the better of him. For he was the last + man to behold with patience the shattering of his idols. + </p> + <p> + “I think you have cast an unwarranted reflection on those who have built + and made this church what it is, Mr. Hodder,” he exclaimed. “And that you + will find there are in it many—a great many earnest Christians who + were greatly shocked by the words you spoke yesterday, who will not + tolerate any interference with their faith. I feel it my duty to speak + frankly, Mr Hodder, disagreeable though it be, in view of our former + relations. I must tell you that I am not alone in the opinion that you + should resign. It is the least you can do, in justice to us, in justice to + yourself. There are other bodies—I cannot call them churches—which + doubtless would welcome your liberal, and I must add atrophying, + interpretation of Christianity. And I trust that reflection will convince + you of the folly of pushing this matter to the extreme. We should greatly + deplore the sensational spectacle of St. John's being involved in an + ecclesiastical trial, the unpleasant notoriety into which it would bring a + church hitherto untouched by that sort of thing. And I ought to tell you + that I, among others, am about to send an Information to the bishop.” + </p> + <p> + Gordon Atterbury hesitated a moment, but getting no reply save an + inclination of the head, took up his hat. + </p> + <p> + “Ahem—I think that is all I have to say, Mr. Hodder. Good morning.” + </p> + <p> + Even then Hodder did not answer, but rose and held open the door. As he + made his exit under the strange scrutiny of the clergyman's gaze the + little vestryman was plainly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat once + more, halted, and then precipitately departed. + </p> + <p> + Hodder went to the window and thoughtfully watched the hurrying figure of + Mr. Atterbury until it disappeared, almost skipping, around the corner + .... The germ of truth, throughout the centuries, had lost nothing of its + dynamic potentialities. If released and proclaimed it was still powerful + enough to drive the world to insensate anger and opposition.... + </p> + <p> + As he stood there, lost in reflection, a shining automobile drew up at the + curb, and from it descended a firm lady in a tight-fitting suit whom he + recognized as Mrs Wallis Plimpton. A moment later she had invaded the + office—for no less a word may be employed to express her physical + aggressiveness, the glowing health which she radiated. + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, Mr. Hodder,” she said, seating herself in one of the + straight-backed chairs. “I have been so troubled since you preached that + sermon yesterday, I could scarcely sleep. And I made up my mind I'd come + to you the first thing this morning. Mr. Plimpton and I have been + discussing it. In fact, people are talking of nothing else. We dined with + the Laureston Greys last night, and they, too, were full of it.” Charlotte + Plimpton looked at him, and the flow of her words suddenly diminished. And + she added, a little lamely for her, “Spiritual matters in these days are + so difficult, aren't they?” + </p> + <p> + “Spiritual matters always were difficult, Mrs. Plimpton,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose so,” she assented hurriedly, with what was intended for a + smile. “But what I came to ask you is this—what are we to teach our + children?” + </p> + <p> + “Teach them the truth,” the rector replied. + </p> + <p> + “One of the things which troubled me most was your reference to modern + criticism,” she went on, recovering her facility. “I was brought up to + believe that the Bible was true. The governess—Miss Standish, you + know, such a fine type of Englishwoman—reads the children Bible + stories every Sunday evening. They adore them, and little Wallis can + repeat them almost by heart—the pillar of cloud by day, Daniel in + the lions' den, and the Wise Men from the East. If they aren't true, some + one ought to have told us before now.” + </p> + <p> + A note of injury had crept into her voice. + </p> + <p> + “How do you feel about these things yourself?” Holder inquired. + </p> + <p> + “How do I feel? Why, I have never thought about them very much—they + were there, in the Bible!” + </p> + <p> + “You were taught to believe them?” + </p> + <p> + “Of course,” she exclaimed, resenting what seemed a reflection on the Gore + orthodoxy. + </p> + <p> + “Do they in any manner affect your conduct?” + </p> + <p> + “My conduct?” she repeated. “I don't know what you mean. I was brought up + in the church, and Mr. Plimpton has always gone, and we are bringing up + the children to go. Is that what you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” Hodder answered, patiently, “that is not what I mean. I ask whether + these stories in any way enter into your life, become part of you, and + tend to make you a more useful woman?” + </p> + <p> + “Well—I have never considered them in that way,” she replied, a + little perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “Do you believe in them yourself?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—I don't know,—I've never thought. I don't suppose I do, + absolutely—not in those I have mentioned.” + </p> + <p> + “And you think it right to teach things to your children which you do not + yourself believe?” + </p> + <p> + “How am I to decide?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + “First by finding out yourself what you do believe,” he replied, with a + touch of severity. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder!” she cried in a scandalized voice, “do you mean to say that + I, who have been brought up in this church, do not know what Christianity + is.” + </p> + <p> + He looked at her and shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “You must begin by being honest with yourself,” he went on, not heeding + her shocked expression. “If you are really in earnest in this matter, I + should be glad to help you all I can. But I warn you there is no + achievement in the world more difficult than that of becoming a Christian. + It means a conversion of your whole being something which you cannot now + even imagine. It means a consuming desire which,—I fear,—in + consideration of your present mode of life, will be difficult to acquire.” + </p> + <p> + “My present mode of life!” she gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” said the rector. He was silent, regarding, her. There was + discernible not the slightest crack of crevice in the enamel of this + woman's worldly armour. + </p> + <p> + For the moment her outraged feelings were forgotten. The man had + fascinated her. To be told, in this authoritative manner, that she was + wicked was a new and delightful experience. It brought back to her the + real motive of her visit, which had in reality been inspired not only by + the sermon of the day before, but by sheer curiosity. + </p> + <p> + “What would you have me do?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + “Find yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean to say that I am not—myself?” she asked, now completely + bewildered. + </p> + <p> + “I mean to say that you are nobody until you achieve conviction.” + </p> + <p> + For Charlotte Plimpton, nee Gore, to be told in her own city, by the + rector of her own church that she was nobody was an event hitherto + inconceivable! It was perhaps as extraordinary that she did not resent. + it. Curiosity still led her on. + </p> + <p> + “Conviction?” she repeated. “But I have conviction, Mr. Hodder. I believe + in the doctrines of the Church.” + </p> + <p> + “Belief!” he exclaimed, and checked himself strongly. “Conviction through + feeling. Not until then will you find what you were put in the world for.” + </p> + <p> + “But my husband—my children? I try to do my duty.” + </p> + <p> + “You must get a larger conception of it,” Hodder replied. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose you mean,” she declared, “that I am to spend the rest of my + life in charity.” + </p> + <p> + “How you would spend the rest of your life would be revealed to you,” said + the rector. + </p> + <p> + It was the weariness in his tone that piqued her now, the intimation that + he did not believe in her sincerity—had not believed in it from the + first. The life-long vanity of a woman used to be treated with + consideration, to be taken seriously, was aroused. This extraordinary man + had refused to enter into the details which she inquisitively craved. + </p> + <p> + Charlotte Plimpton rose. + </p> + <p> + “I shall not bother you any longer at present, Mr. Hodder,” she said + sweetly. “I know you must have, this morning especially, a great deal to + trouble you.” + </p> + <p> + He met her scrutiny calmly. + </p> + <p> + “It is only the things we permit to trouble us that do so, Mrs. Plimpton,” + he replied. “My own troubles have arisen largely from a lack of faith on + the part of those whom I feel it is my duty to influence.” + </p> + <p> + It was then she delivered her parting shot, which she repeated, with much + satisfaction, to her husband that evening. She had reached the door. “Was + there a special service at Calvary yesterday?” she asked innocently, + turning back. + </p> + <p> + “Not that I know of.” + </p> + <p> + “I wondered. Mr. Parr was there; I'm told—and he's never been known + to desert St. John's except on the rarest occasions. But oh, Mr. Hodder, I + must congratulate you on your influence with Alison. When she has been out + here before she never used to come to church at all.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0030" id="link2H_4_0030"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 7. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII. THE CHOICE + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Pondering over Alison's note, he suddenly recalled and verified some + phrases which had struck him that summer on reading Harnack's celebrated + History of Dogma, and around these he framed his reply. “To act as if + faith in eternal life and in the living Christ was the simplest thing in + the world, or a dogma to which one has to submit, is irreligious... It is + Christian to pray that God would give the Spirit to make us strong to + overcome the feelings and the doubts of nature... Where this faith, + obtained in this way, exists, it has always been supported by the + conviction that the Man lives who brought life and immortality to light. + To hold fast this faith is the goal of life, for only what we consciously + strive for is in this matter our own. What we think we possess is very + soon lost.” + </p> + <p> + “The feelings and the doubts of nature!” The Divine Discontent, the + striving against the doubt that every honest soul experiences and admits. + Thus the contrast between her and these others who accepted and went their + several ways was brought home to him. + </p> + <p> + He longed to talk to her, but his days were full. Yet the very thought of + her helped to bear him up as his trials, his problems accumulated; nor + would he at any time have exchanged them for the former false peace which + had been bought (he perceived more and more clearly) at the price of + compromise. + </p> + <p> + The worst of these trials, perhaps, was a conspicuous article in a + newspaper containing a garbled account of his sermon and of the sensation + it had produced amongst his fashionable parishioners. He had refused to + see the reporter, but he had been made out a hero, a socialistic champion + of the poor. The black headlines were nauseating; and beside them, in + juxtaposition, were pen portraits of himself and of Eldon Parr. There were + rumours that the banker had left the church until the recalcitrant rector + should be driven out of it; the usual long list of Mr. Parr's benefactions + was included, and certain veiled paragraphs concerning his financial + operations. Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Plimpton, Mr. Constable, did not escape,—although + they, too, had refused to be interviewed.... + </p> + <p> + The article brought to the parish house a bevy of reporters who had to be + fought off, and another batch of letters, many of them from ministers, in + approval or condemnation. + </p> + <p> + His fellow-clergymen called, some to express sympathy and encouragement, + more of them to voice in person indignant and horrified protests. Dr. + Annesley of Calvary—a counterpart of whose rubicund face might have + been found in the Council of Trent or in mediaeval fish-markets—pronounced + his anathemas with his hands folded comfortably over his stomach, but + eventually threw to the winds every vestige of his ecclesiastical + dignity.... + </p> + <p> + Then there came a note from the old bishop, who was traveling. A kindly + note, withal, if non-committal,—to the effect that he had received + certain communications, but that his physician would not permit him to + return for another ten days or so. He would then be glad to see Mr. Holder + and talk with him. + </p> + <p> + What would the bishop do? Holder's relations with him had been more than + friendly, but whether the bishop's views were sufficiently liberal to + support him in the extreme stand he had taken he could not surmise. For it + meant that the bishop, too, must enter into a conflict with the first + layman of his diocese, of whose hospitality he had so often partaken, + whose contributions had been on so lordly a scale. The bishop was in his + seventieth year, and had hitherto successfully fought any attempt to + supply him with an assistant,—coadjutor or suffragan. + </p> + <p> + At such times the fear grew upon Hodder that he might be recommended for + trial, forced to abandon his fight to free the Church from the fetters + that bound her: that the implacable hostility of his enemies would rob him + of his opportunity. + </p> + <p> + Thus ties were broken, many hard things were said and brought to his ears. + There were vacancies in the classes and guilds, absences that pained him, + silences that wrung him.... + </p> + <p> + Of all the conversations he held, that with Mrs. Constable was perhaps the + most illuminating and distressing. As on that other occasion, when he had + gone to her, this visit was under the seal of confession, unknown to her + husband. And Hodder had been taken aback, on seeing her enter his office, + by the very tragedy in her face—the tragedy he had momentarily + beheld once before. He drew up a chair for her, and when she had sat down + she gazed at him some moments without speaking. + </p> + <p> + “I had to come,” she said; “there are some things I feel I must ask you. + For I have been very miserable since I heard you on Sunday.” + </p> + <p> + He nodded gently. + </p> + <p> + “I knew that you would change your views—become broader, greater. + You may remember that I predicted it.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I thought you would grow more liberal, less bigoted, if you will allow me + to say so. But I didn't anticipate—” she hesitated, and looked up at + him again. + </p> + <p> + “That I would take the extreme position I have taken,” he assisted her. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Mr. Hodder,” she cried impulsively, “was it necessary to go so far? + and all at once. I am here not only because I am miserable, but I am + concerned on your account. You hurt me very much that day you came to me, + but you made me your friend. And I wonder if you really understand the + terrible, bitter feeling you have aroused, the powerful enemies you have + made by speaking so—so unreservedly?” + </p> + <p> + “I was prepared for it,” he answered. “Surely, Mrs. Constable, once I have + arrived at what I believe to be the truth, you would not have me + temporize?” + </p> + <p> + She gave him a wan smile. + </p> + <p> + “In one respect, at least, you have not changed,” she told him. “I am + afraid you are not the temporizing kind. But wasn't there,—mayn't + there still be a way to deal with this fearful situation? You have made it + very hard for us—for them. You have given them no loophole of + escape. And there are many, like me, who do not wish to see your career + ruined, Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + “Would you prefer,” he asked, “to see my soul destroyed? And your own?” + </p> + <p> + Her lips twitched. + </p> + <p> + “Isn't there any other way but that? Can't this transformation, which you + say is necessary and vital, come gradually? You carried me away as I + listened to you, I was not myself when I came out of the church. But I + have been thinking ever since. Consider my husband, Mr. Hodder,” her voice + faltered. “I shall not mince matters with you—I know you will not + pretend to misunderstand me. I have never seen him so upset since since + that time Gertrude was married. He is in a most cruel position. I + confessed to you once that Mr. Parr had made for us all the money we + possess. Everett is fond of you, but if he espouses your cause, on the + vestry, we shall be ruined.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was greatly moved. + </p> + <p> + “It is not my cause, Mrs. Constable,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Surely, Christianity is not so harsh and uncompromising as that! And do + you quite do justice to—to some of these men? There was no one to + tell them the wrongs they were committing—if they were indeed + wrongs. Our civilization is far from perfect.” + </p> + <p> + “The Church may have been remiss, mistaken,” the rector replied. “But the + Christianity she has taught, adulterated though it were, has never + condoned the acts which have become commonplace in modern finance. There + must have been a time, in the life of every one of these men, when they + had to take that first step against which their consciences revolted, when + they realized that fraud and taking advantage of the ignorant and weak + were wrong. They have deliberately preferred gratification in this life to + spiritual development—if indeed they believe in any future + whatsoever. For 'whosoever will save his life shall lose it' is as true + to-day as it ever was. They have had their choice—they still have + it.” + </p> + <p> + “I am to blame,” she cried. “I drove my husband to it, I made him think of + riches, it was I who cultivated Mr. Parr. And oh, I suppose I am justly + punished. I have never been happy for one instant since that day.” + </p> + <p> + He watched her, pityingly, as she wept. But presently she raised her face, + wonderingly. + </p> + <p> + “You do believe in the future life after—after what you have been + through?” + </p> + <p> + “I do,” he answered simply. + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I am sure you do. It is that, what you are, convinces me you + do. Even the remarkable and sensible explanation you gave of it when you + interpreted the parable of the talents is not so powerful as the + impression that you yourself believe after thinking it out for yourself—not + accepting the old explanations. And then,” she added, with a note as of + surprise, “you are willing to sacrifice everything for it!” + </p> + <p> + “And you?” he asked. “Cannot you, too, believe to that extent?” + </p> + <p> + “Everything?” she repeated. “It would mean—poverty. No—God + help me—I cannot face it. I have become too hard. I cannot do + without the world. And even if I could! Oh, you cannot know what you ask + Everett, my husband—I must say it, you make me tell you everything—is + not free. He is little better than a slave to Eldon Parr. I hate Eldon + Parr,” she added, with startling inconsequence. + </p> + <p> + “If I had only known what it would lead to when I made Everett what he is! + But I knew nothing of business, and I wanted money, position to satisfy my + craving at the loss of—that other thing. And now I couldn't change + my husband if I would. He hasn't the courage, he hasn't the vision. What + there was of him, long ago, has been killed—and I killed it. He + isn't—anybody, now.” + </p> + <p> + She relapsed again into weeping. + </p> + <p> + “And then it might not mean only poverty—it might mean disgrace.” + </p> + <p> + “Disgrace!” the rector involuntarily took up the word. + </p> + <p> + “There are some things he has done,” she said in a low voice, “which he + thought he was obliged to do which Eldon Parr made him do.” + </p> + <p> + “But Mr. Parr, too—?” Hodder began. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it was to shield Eldon Parr. They could never be traced to him. And + if they ever came out, it would kill my husband. Tell me,” she implored, + “what can I do? What shall I do? You are responsible. You have made me + more bitterly unhappy than ever.” + </p> + <p> + “Are you willing,” he asked, after a moment, “to make the supreme + renunciation? to face poverty, and perhaps disgrace, to save your soul and + others?” + </p> + <p> + “And—others?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes. Your sacrifice would not, could not be in vain. Otherwise I should + be merely urging on you the individualism which you once advocated with + me.” + </p> + <p> + “Renunciation.” She pronounced the word questioningly. “Can Christianity + really mean that—renunciation of the world? Must we take it in the + drastic sense of the Church of the early centuries-the Church of the + Martyrs?” + </p> + <p> + “Christianity demands all of us, or nothing,” he replied. “But the false + interpretation of renunciation of the early Church has cast its blight on + Christianity even to our day. Oriental asceticism, Stoicism, Philo and + other influences distorted Christ's meaning. Renunciation does not mean + asceticism, retirement from the world, a denial of life. And the early + Christian, since he was not a citizen, since he took the view that this + mortal existence was essentially bad and kept his eyes steadfastly fixed + on another, was the victim at once of false philosophies and of the + literal messianic prophecies of the Jews, which were taken over with + Christianity. The earthly kingdom which was to come was to be the result + of some kind of a cataclysm. Personally, I believe our Lord merely used + the Messianic literature as a convenient framework for his spiritual + Kingdom of heaven, and that the Gospels misinterpret his meaning on this + point. + </p> + <p> + “Renunciation is not the withdrawal from, the denial of life, but the + fulfilment of life, the submission to the divine will and guidance in + order that our work may be shown us. Renunciation is the assumption, at + once, of heavenly and earthly citizenship, of responsibility for ourselves + and our fellow-men. It is the realization that the other world, the inner, + spiritual world, is here, now, and that the soul may dwell in it before + death, while the body and mind work for the coming of what may be called + the collective kingdom. Life looked upon in that way is not bad, but good,—not + meaningless, but luminous.” + </p> + <p> + She had listened hungrily, her eyes fixed upon his face. + </p> + <p> + “And for me?” she questioned. + </p> + <p> + “For you,” he answered, leaning forward and speaking with a conviction + that shook her profoundly, “if you make the sacrifice of your present + unhappiness, of your misery, all will be revealed. The labour which you + have shirked, which is now hidden from you, will be disclosed, you will + justify your existence by taking your place as an element of the + community. You will be able to say of yourself, at last, 'I am of use.'” + </p> + <p> + “You mean—social work?” + </p> + <p> + The likeness of this to Mrs. Plimpton's question struck him. She had + called it “charity.” How far had they wandered in their teaching from the + Revelation of the Master, since it was as new and incomprehensible to + these so-called Christians as to Nicodemus himself! + </p> + <p> + “All Christian work is social, Mrs. Constable, but it is founded on love. + 'Thou shaft love thy neighbour as thyself.' You hold your own soul + precious, since it is the shrine of God. And for that reason you hold + equally precious your neighbour's soul. Love comes first, as revelation, + as imparted knowledge, as the divine gist of autonomy—self-government. + And then one cannot help working, socially, at the task for which we are + made by nature most efficient. And in order to discover what that task is, + we must wait.” + </p> + <p> + “Why did not some one tell me this, when I was young?” she asked—not + speaking to him. “It seems so simple.” + </p> + <p> + “It is simple. The difficult thing is to put it into practice—the + most difficult thing in the world. Both courage and faith are required, + faith that is content to trust as to the nature of the reward. It is the + wisdom of foolishness. Have you the courage?” + </p> + <p> + She pressed her hands together. + </p> + <p> + “Alone—perhaps I should have. I don't know. But my husband! I was + able to influence him to his destruction, and now I am powerless. Darkness + has closed around me. He would not—he will not listen to me.” + </p> + <p> + “You have tried?” + </p> + <p> + “I have attempted to talk to him, but the whole of my life contradicts my + words. He cannot see me except as, the woman who drove him into making + money. Sometimes I think he hates me.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder recalled, as his eyes rested on her compassionately, the sufferings + of that other woman in Dalton Street. + </p> + <p> + “Would you have me desert him—after all these years?” she whispered. + “I often think he would be happier, even now.” + </p> + <p> + “I would have you do nothing save that which God himself will reveal to + you. Go home, go into the church and pray—pray for knowledge. I + think you will find that you are held responsible for your husband. Pray + that that which you have broken, you may mend again.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think there is a chance?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder made a gesture. + </p> + <p> + “God alone can judge as to the extent of his punishments.” + </p> + <p> + She got to her feet, wearily. + </p> + <p> + “I feel no hope—I feel no courage, but—I will try. I see what + you mean—that my punishment is my powerlessness.” + </p> + <p> + He bent his head. + </p> + <p> + “You are so strong—perhaps you can help me.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall always be ready,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + He escorted her down the steps to the dark blue brougham with upstanding, + chestnut horses which was waiting at the curb. But Mrs. Constable turned + to the footman, who held open the door. + </p> + <p> + “You may stay here awhile,” she said to him, and gave Hodder her hand.... + </p> + <p> + She went into the church.... + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Asa Waring and his son-in-law, Phil Goodrich, had been to see Hodder on + the subject of the approaching vestry meeting, and both had gone away not + a little astonished and impressed by the calmness with which the rector + looked forward to the conflict. Others of his parishioners, some of whom + were more discreet in their expressions of sympathy, were no less + surprised by his attitude; and even his theological adversaries, such as + Gordon Atterbury, paid him a reluctant tribute. Thanks, perhaps, to the + newspaper comments as much as to any other factor, in the minds of those + of all shades of opinion in the parish the issue had crystallized into a + duel between the rector and Eldon Parr. Bitterly as they resented the + glare of publicity into which St. John's had been dragged, the first + layman of the diocese was not beloved; and the fairer-minded of Hodder's + opponents, though appalled, were forced to admit in their hearts that the + methods by which Mr. Parr had made his fortune and gained his ascendency + would not bear scrutiny.... Some of them were disturbed, indeed, by the + discovery that there had come about in them, by imperceptible degrees, in + the last few years a new and critical attitude towards the ways of modern + finance: moat of them had an uncomfortable feeling that Hodder was somehow + right,—a feeling which they sought to stifle when they reflected + upon the consequences of facing it. For this would mean a disagreeable + shaking up of their own lives. Few of them were in a position whence they + might cast stones at Eldon Parr.... + </p> + <p> + What these did not grasp was the fact that that which they felt stirring + within them was the new and spiritual product of the dawning twentieth + century—the Social Conscience. They wished heartily that the new + rector who had developed this disquieting personality would peacefully + resign and leave them to the former, even tenor of their lives. They did + not for one moment doubt the outcome of his struggle with Eldon Parr. The + great banker was known to be relentless, his name was synonymous with + victory. And yet, paradoxically, Hodder compelled their inner sympathy and + admiration!... + </p> + <p> + Some of them, who did not attempt peremptorily to choke the a processes + made the startling discovery that they were not, after all, so shocked by + his doctrines as they had at first supposed. The trouble was that they + could not continue to listen to him, as formerly, with comfort.... One + thing was certain, that they had never expected to look forward to a + vestry meeting with such breathless interest and anxiety. This clergyman + had suddenly accomplished the surprising feat of reviving the Church as a + burning, vital factor in the life of the community! He had discerned her + enemy, and defied his power.... + </p> + <p> + As for Hodder, so absorbed had he been by his experiences, so wrung by the + human contacts, the personal problems which he had sought to enter, that + he had actually given no thought to the battle before him until the autumn + afternoon, heavy with smoke, had settled down into darkness. The weather + was damp and cold, and he sat musing on the ordeal now abruptly + confronting him before his study fire when he heard a step behind him. He + turned to recognize, by the glow of the embers, the heavy figure of Nelson + Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “I hope I'm not disturbing you, Hodder,” he said. “The janitor said you + were in, and your door is open.” + </p> + <p> + “Not at all,” replied the rector, rising. As he stood for a moment facing + the lawyer, the thought of their friendship, and how it had begun in the + little rectory overlooking the lake at Bremerton, was uppermost in his + mind,—yes, and the memory of many friendly, literary discussions in + the same room where they now stood, of pleasant dinners at Langmaid's + house in the West End, when the two of them had often sat talking until + late into the nights. + </p> + <p> + “I must seem very inhospitable,” said Hodder. “I'll light the lamp—it's + pleasanter than the electric light.” + </p> + <p> + The added illumination at first revealed the lawyer in his familiar + aspect, the broad shoulders, the big, reddish beard, the dome-like head,—the + generous person that seemed to radiate scholarly benignity, peace, and + good-will. But almost instantly the rector became aware of a new and + troubled, puzzled glance from behind the round spectacles... + </p> + <p> + “I thought I'd drop in a moment on my way up town—” he began. And + the note of uncertainty in his voice, too, was new. Hodder drew towards + the fire the big chair in which it had been Langmaid's wont to sit, and + perhaps it was the sight of this operation that loosed the lawyer's + tongue. + </p> + <p> + “Confound it, Hodder!” he exclaimed, “I like you—I always have liked + you. And you've got a hundred times the ability of the average clergyman. + Why in the world did you have to go and make all this trouble?” + </p> + <p> + By so characteristic a remark Hodder was both amused and moved. It + revealed so perfectly the point of view and predicament of the lawyer, and + it was also an expression of an affection which the rector cordially, + returned.... Before answering, he placed his visitor in the chair, and the + deliberation of the act was a revelation of the unconscious poise of the + clergyman. The spectacle of this self-command on the brink of such a + crucial event as the vestry meeting had taken Langmaid aback more than he + cared to show. He had lost the old sense of comradeship, of easy equality; + and he had the odd feeling of dealing with a new man, at once familiar and + unfamiliar, who had somehow lifted himself out of the everyday element in + which they heretofore had met. The clergyman had contrived to step out of + his, Langmaid's, experience: had actually set him—who all his life + had known no difficulty in dealing with men—to groping for a medium + of communication.... + </p> + <p> + Hodder sat down on the other side of the fireplace. He, too, seemed to be + striving for a common footing. + </p> + <p> + “It was a question of proclaiming the truth when at last I came to see it, + Langmaid. I could not help doing what I did. Matters of policy, of a false + consideration for individuals could not enter into it. If this were not + so, I should gladly admit that you had a just grievance, a peculiar right + to demand why I had not remained the strictly orthodox person whom you + induced to come here. You had every reason to congratulate yourself that + you were getting what you doubtless would call a safe man.” + </p> + <p> + “I'll admit I had a twinge of uneasiness after I came home,” Langmaid + confessed. + </p> + <p> + Hodder smiled at his frankness. + </p> + <p> + “But that disappeared.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, it disappeared. You seemed to suit 'em so perfectly. I'll own up, + Hodder, that I was a little hurt that you did not come and talk to me just + before you took the extraordinary—before you changed your opinions.” + </p> + <p> + “Would it have done any good?” asked the rector, gently. “Would you have + agreed with me any better than you do now? I am perfectly willing, if you + wish, to discuss with you any views of mine which you may not indorse. And + it would make me very happy, I assure you, if I could bring you to look + upon the matter as I do.” + </p> + <p> + This was a poser. And whether it were ingenuous, or had in it an element + of the scriptural wisdom of the serpent, Langmaid could not have said. As + a lawyer, he admired it. + </p> + <p> + “I wasn't in church, as usual,—I didn't hear the sermon,” he + replied. “And I never could make head or tail of theology—I always + told you that. What I deplore, Hodder, is that you've contrived to make a + hornets' nest out of the most peaceful and contented congregation in + America. Couldn't you have managed to stick to religion instead of getting + mixed up with socialism?” + </p> + <p> + “So you have been given the idea that my sermon was socialistic?” the + rector said. + </p> + <p> + “Socialistic and heretical,—it seems. Of course I'm not much of an + authority on heresy, but they claim that you went out of your way to knock + some of their most cherished and sacred beliefs in the head.” + </p> + <p> + “But suppose I have come to the honest conclusion that in the first place + these so-called cherished beliefs have no foundation in fact, and no + influence on the lives of the persons who cherished them, no real + connection with Christianity? What would you have me do, as a man? + Continue to preach them for the sake of the lethargic peace of which you + speak? leave the church paralyzed, as I found it?” + </p> + <p> + “Paralyzed! You've got the most influential people in the city.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder regarded him for a while without replying. + </p> + <p> + “So has the Willesden Club,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Langmaid laughed a little, uncomfortably. + </p> + <p> + “If Christianity, as one of the ancient popes is said to have remarked, + were merely a profitable fable,” the rector continued, “there might be + something in your contention that St. John's, as a church, had reached the + pinnacle of success. But let us ignore the spiritual side of this matter + as non-vital, and consider it from the practical side. We have the most + influential people in the city, but we have not their children. That does + not promise well for the future. The children get more profit out of the + country clubs. And then there is another question: is it going to continue + to be profitable? Is it as profitable now as it was, say, twenty years + ago? + </p> + <p> + “You've got out of my depth,” said Nelson Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + “I'll try to explain. As a man of affairs, I think you will admit, if you + reflect, that the return of St. John's, considering the large amount of + money invested, is scarcely worth considering. And I am surprised that as + astute a man as Mr. Pair has not been able to see this long ago. If we + clear all the cobwebs away, what is the real function of this church as at + present constituted? Why this heavy expenditure to maintain religious + services for a handful of people? Is it not, when we come down to facts, + an increasingly futile effort to bring the influences of religion—of + superstition, if you will—to bear on the so-called lower classes in + order that they may remain contented with their lot, with that station and + condition in the world where—it is argued—it has pleased God + to call them? If that were not so, in my opinion there are very few of the + privileged classes who would invest a dollar in the Church. And the proof + of it is that the moment a clergyman raises his voice to proclaim the true + message of Christianity they are up in arms with the cry of socialism. + They have the sense to see that their privileges are immediately + threatened. + </p> + <p> + “Looking at it from the financial side, it would be cheaper for them to + close up their churches. It is a mere waste of time and money, because the + influence on their less fortunate brethren in a worldly sense has dwindled + to nothing. Few of the poor come near their churches in these days. The + profitable fable is almost played out.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder had spoken without bitterness, yet his irony was by no means lost + on the lawyer. Langmaid, if the truth be told, found himself for the + moment in the unusual predicament of being at a loss, for the rector had + put forward with more or less precision the very cynical view which he + himself had been clever enough to evolve. + </p> + <p> + “Haven't they the right,” he asked, somewhat lamely, “to demand the kind + of religion they pay for?” + </p> + <p> + “Provided you don't call it religion,” said the rector. + </p> + <p> + Langmaid smiled in spite of himself. + </p> + <p> + “See here, Hodder,” he said, “I've always confessed frankly that I knew + little or nothing about religion. I've come here this evening as your + friend, without authority from anybody,” he added significantly, “to see + if this thing couldn't somehow be adjusted peaceably, for your sake as + well as others'. Come, you must admit there's a grain of justice in the + contention against you. When I went on to Bremerton to get you I had no + real reason for supposing that these views would develop. I made a + contract with you in all good faith.” + </p> + <p> + “And I with you,” answered the rector. “Perhaps you do not realize, + Langmaid, what has been the chief factor in developing these views.” + </p> + <p> + The lawyer was silent, from caution. + </p> + <p> + “I must be frank with you. It was the discovery that Mr. Parr and others + of my chief parishioners were so far from being Christians as to indulge, + while they supported the Church of Christ, in operations like that of the + Consolidated Tractions Company, wronging their fellow-men and condemning + them to misery and hate. And that you, as a lawyer, used your talents to + make that operation possible.” + </p> + <p> + “Hold on!” cried Langmaid, now plainly agitated. “You have no right—you + can know nothing of that affair. You do not understand business.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid,” replied the rector, sadly, “that I understand one side of it + only too well.” + </p> + <p> + “The Church has no right to meddle outside of her sphere, to dictate to + politics and business.” + </p> + <p> + “Her sphere,” said Holder, “—is the world. If she does not change + the world by sending out Christians into it, she would better close her + doors.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I don't intend to quarrel with you, Holder. I suppose it can't be + helped that we look at these things differently, and I don't intend to + enter into a defence of business. It would take too long, and it wouldn't + help any.” He got to his feet. “Whatever happens, it won't interfere with + our personal friendship, even if you think me a highwayman and I think you + a—” + </p> + <p> + “A fanatic,” Holder supplied. He had risen, too, and stood, with a smile + on his face, gazing at the lawyer with an odd scrutiny. + </p> + <p> + “An idealist, I was going to say,” Langmaid answered, returning the smile, + “I'll admit that we need them in the world. It's only when one of them + gets in the gear-box....” + </p> + <p> + The rector laughed. And thus they stood, facing each other. + </p> + <p> + “Langmaid,” Holder asked, “don't you ever get tired and disgusted with the + Juggernaut car?” + </p> + <p> + The big lawyer continued to smile, but a sheepish, almost boyish + expression came over his face. He had not credited the clergyman with so + much astuteness. + </p> + <p> + “Business, nowadays, is—business, Holder. The Juggernaut car claims + us all. It has become-if you will permit me to continue to put my similes + into slang—the modern band wagon. And we lawyers have to get on it, + or fall by the wayside.” + </p> + <p> + Holder stared into the fire. + </p> + <p> + “I appreciate your motive in coming here,” he said, at length, “and I do + you the justice of believing it was friendly, that the fact that you are, + in a way, responsible for me to—to the congregation of St. John's + did not enter into it. I realize that I have made matters particularly + awkward for you. You have given them in me, and in good faith, something + they didn't bargain for. You haven't said so, but you want me to resign. + On the one hand, you don't care to see me tilting at the windmills, or, + better, drawing down on my head the thunderbolts of your gods. On the + other hand, you are just a little afraid for your gods. If the question in + dispute were merely an academic one, I'd accommodate you at once. But I + can't. I've thought it all out, and I have made up my mind that it is my + clear duty to remain here and, if I am strong enough, wrest this church + from the grip of Eldon Parr and the men whom he controls. + </p> + <p> + “I am speaking plainly, and I understand the situation thoroughly. You + will probably tell me, as others have done, that no one has ever opposed + Eldon Parr who has not been crushed. I go in with my eyes open, I am + willing to be crushed, if necessary. You have come here to warn me, and I + appreciate your motive. Now I am going to warn you, in all sincerity and + friendship. I may be beaten, I may be driven out. But the victory will be + mine nevertheless. Eldon Parr and the men who stand with him in the + struggle will never recover from the blow I shall give them. I shall leave + them crippled because I have the truth on my side, and the truth is + irresistible. And they shall not be able to injure me permanently. And + you, I regret deeply to say, will be hurt, too. I beg you, for no selfish + reason, to consider again the part you intend to play in this affair.” + </p> + <p> + Such was the conviction, such the unlooked-for fire with which the rector + spoke that Langmaid was visibly shaken and taken aback in spite of + himself. + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean,” he demanded, when he had caught his breath, “that you + intend to attack us publicly?” + </p> + <p> + “Is that the only punishment you can conceive of?” the rector asked. The + reproach in his voice was in itself a denial. + </p> + <p> + “I beg your pardon, Hodder,” said the lawyer, quickly. “And I am sure you + honestly believe what you say, but—” + </p> + <p> + “In your heart you, too, believe it, Langmaid. The retribution has already + begun. Nevertheless you will go on—for a while.” He held out his + hand, which Langmaid took mechanically. “I bear you no ill-will. I am + sorry that you cannot yet see with sufficient clearness to save yourself.” + </p> + <p> + Langmaid turned and picked up his hat and stick and left the room without + another word. The bewildered, wistful look which had replaced the + ordinarily benign and cheerful expression haunted Hodder long after the + lawyer had gone. It was the look of a man who has somehow lost his + consciousness of power. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIV. THE VESTRY MEETS + </h2> + <p> + At nine o'clock that evening Hodder stood alone in the arched vestry room, + and the sight of the heavy Gothic chairs ranged about the long table + brought up memories of comfortable, genial meetings prolonged by chat and + banter.... The noise of feet, of subdued voices beside the coat room in + the corridor, aroused him. All of the vestry would seem to have arrived at + once. + </p> + <p> + He regarded them with a detached curiosity as they entered, reading them + with a new insight. The trace of off-handedness in Mr. Plimpton's former + cordiality was not lost upon him—an intimation that his star had + set. Mr. Plimpton had seen many breaches healed—had healed many + himself. But he had never been known as a champion of lost causes. + </p> + <p> + “Well, here we are, Mr. Hodder, on the stroke,” he remarked. “As a vestry, + I think we're entitled to the first prize for promptness. How about it, + Everett?” + </p> + <p> + Everett Constable was silent. + </p> + <p> + “Good evening, Mr. Hodder,” he said. He did not offer to shake hands, as + Mr. Plimpton had done, but sat down at the far end of the table. He looked + tired and worn; sick, the rector thought, and felt a sudden swelling of + compassion for the pompous little man whose fibre was not as tough as that + of these other condottieri: as Francis Ferguson's, for instance, although + his soft hand and pink and white face framed in the black whiskers would + seem to belie any fibre whatever. + </p> + <p> + Gordon Atterbury hemmed and hawed,—“Ah, Mr. Hodder,” and seated + himself beside Mr. Constable, in a chair designed to accommodate a portly + bishop. Both of them started nervously as Asa Waring, holding his head + high, as a man should who has kept his birthright, went directly to the + rector. + </p> + <p> + “I'm glad to see you, Mr. Hodder,” he said, and turning defiantly, + surveyed the room. There was an awkward silence. Mr. Plimpton edged a + little nearer. The decree might have gone forth for Mr. Hodder's + destruction, but Asa Waring was a man whose displeasure was not to be + lightly incurred. + </p> + <p> + “What's this I hear about your moving out of Hamilton Place, Mr. Waring? + You'd better come up and take the Spaulding lot, in Waverley, across from + us.” + </p> + <p> + “I am an old man, Mr. Plimpton,” Asa Waring replied. “I do not move as + easily as some other people in these days.” + </p> + <p> + Everett Constable produced his handkerchief and rubbed his nose violently. + But Mr. Plimpton was apparently undaunted. + </p> + <p> + “I have always said,” he observed, “that there was something very fine in + your sticking to that neighbourhood after your friends had gone. Here's + Phil!” + </p> + <p> + Phil Goodrich looked positively belligerent, and as he took his stand on + the other side of Hodder his father-in-law smiled at him grimly. Mr. + Goodrich took hold of the rector's arm. + </p> + <p> + “I missed one or two meetings last spring, Mr. Hodder,” he said, “but I'm + going to be on hand after this. My father, I believe, never missed a + vestry meeting in his life. Perhaps that was because they used to hold + most of 'em at his house.” + </p> + <p> + “And serve port and cigars, I'm told,” Mr. Plimpton put in. + </p> + <p> + “That was an inducement, Wallis, I'll admit,” answered Phil. “But there + are even greater inducements now.” + </p> + <p> + In view of Phil Goodrich's well-known liking for a fight, this was too + pointed to admit of a reply, but Mr. Plimpton was spared the attempt by + the entrance of. Nelson Langmaid. The lawyer, as he greeted them, seemed + to be preoccupied, nor did he seek to relieve the tension with his + customary joke. A few moments of silence followed, when Eldon Parr was + seen to be standing in the doorway, surveying them. + </p> + <p> + “Good evening, gentlemen,” he said coldly, and without more ado went to + his customary chair, and sat down in it. Immediately followed a scraping + of other chairs. There was a dominating quality about the man not to be + gainsaid. + </p> + <p> + The rector called the meeting to order.... + </p> + <p> + During the routine business none of the little asides occurred which + produce laughter. Every man in the room was aware of the intensity of + Eldon Parr's animosity, and yet he betrayed it neither by voice, look, or + gesture. There was something uncanny in this self-control, this sang froid + with which he was wont to sit at boards waiting unmoved for the time when + he should draw his net about his enemies, and strangle them without pity. + It got on Langmaid's nerves—hardened as he was to it. He had seen + many men in that net; some had struggled, some had taken their + annihilation stoically; honest merchants, freebooters, and brigands. Most + of them had gone out, with their families, into that precarious + border-land of existence in which the to-morrows are ever dreaded. + </p> + <p> + Yet here, somehow, was a different case. Langmaid found himself going back + to the days when his mother had taken him to church, and he could not bear + to look at, Hodder. Since six o'clock that afternoon—had his + companions but known it—he had passed through one of the worst + periods of his existence.... + </p> + <p> + After the regular business had been disposed of a brief interval was + allowed, for the sake of decency, to ensue. That Eldon Parr would not lead + the charge in person was a foregone conclusion. Whom, then, would he put + forward? For obvious reasons, not Wallis Plimpton or Langmaid, nor Francis + Ferguson. Hodder found his, glance unconsciously fixed upon Everett + Constable, who, moved nervously and slowly pushed back his chair. He was + called upon, in this hour and in the church his father had helped to + found, to make the supreme payment for the years of financial prosperity. + Although a little man, with his shoulders thrown back and his head high, + he generally looked impressive when he spoke, and his fine features and + clear-cut English contributed to the effect. But now his face was + strained, and his voice seemed to lack command as he bowed and mentioned + the rector's name. Eldon Parr sat back. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” Mr. Constable began, “I feel it my duty to say something this + evening, something that distresses me. Like some of you who are here + present, I have been on this vestry for many years, and my father was on + it before me. I was brought up under Dr. Gilman, of whom I need not speak. + All here, except our present rector, knew him. This church, St. John's, + has been a part—a—large part—of my life. And anything + that seems to touch its welfare, touches me. + </p> + <p> + “When Dr. Gilman died, after so many years of faithful service, we faced a + grave problem,—that of obtaining a young man of ability, an active + man who would be able to assume the responsibilities of a large and + growing parish, and at the same time carry on its traditions, precious to + us all; one who believed in and preached, I need scarcely add, the + accepted doctrines of the Church, which we have been taught to think are + sacred and necessary to salvation. And in the discovery of the Reverend + Mr. Hodder, we had reason to congratulate ourselves and the parish. He was + all that we had hoped for, and more. His sermons were at once a pleasure + and an instruction. + </p> + <p> + “I wish to make it clear,” he continued, “that in spite of the pain Mr. + Hodder's words of last Sunday have given me, I respect and honour him + still, and wish him every success. But, gentlemen, I think it is plain to + all of you that he has changed his religious convictions. As to the causes + through which that change has come about, I do not pretend to know. To say + the least, the transition is a startling one, one for which some of us + were totally unprepared. To speak restrainedly, it was a shock—a + shock which I shall remember as long as I live. + </p> + <p> + “I need not go into the doctrinal question here, except to express my + opinion that the fundamental facts of our religion were contradicted. And + we have also to consider the effect of this preaching on coming + generations for whom we are responsible. There are, no doubt, other fields + for Mr. Hodder's usefulness. But I think it may safely be taken as a + principle that this parish has the right to demand from the pulpit that + orthodox teaching which suits it, and to which it has been accustomed. And + I venture further to give it as my opinion—to put it mildly that + others have been as disturbed and shocked as I. I have seen many, talked + with many, since Sunday. For these reasons, with much sorrow and regret, I + venture to suggest to the vestry that Mr. Hodder resign as our rector. And + I may add what I believe to be the feeling of all present, that we have + nothing but good will for him, although we think we might have been + informed of what he intended to do. + </p> + <p> + “And that in requesting him to resign we are acting for his own good as + well as our own, and are thus avoiding a situation which threatens to + become impossible,—one which would bring serious reflection on him + and calamity on the church. We already, in certain articles in the + newspapers, have had an indication of the intolerable notoriety we may + expect, although I hold Mr. Hodder innocent in regard to those articles. I + am sure he will have the good sense to see this situation as I see it, as + the majority of the parish see it.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Constable sat down, breathing hard. He had not looked at the rector + during the whole of his speech, nor at Eldon Parr. There was a heavy + silence, and then Philip Goodrich rose, square, clean-cut, aggressive. + </p> + <p> + “I, too, gentlemen, have had life-long association with this church,” he + began deliberately. “And for Mr. Hodder's sake I am going to give you a + little of my personal history, because I think it typical of thousands of + men of my age all over this country. It was nobody's fault, perhaps, that + I was taught that the Christian religion depended on a certain series of + nature miracles and a chain of historical events, and when I went East to + school I had more of this same sort of instruction. I have never, perhaps, + been overburdened with intellect, but the time arrived nevertheless when I + began to think for myself. Some of the older boys went once, I remember, + to the rector of the school—a dear old man—and frankly stated + our troubles. To use a modern expression, he stood pat on everything. I do + not say it was a consciously criminal act, he probably saw no way out + himself. At any rate, he made us all agnostics at one stroke. + </p> + <p> + “What I learned in college of science and history and philosophy merely + confirmed me in my agnosticism. As a complete system for the making of + atheists and materialists, I commend the education which I received. If + there is any man here who believes religion to be an essential factor in + life, I ask him to think of his children or grandchildren before he comes + forward to the support of Mr. Constable. + </p> + <p> + “In that sermon which he preached last Sunday, Mr. Hodder, for the first + time in my life, made Christianity intelligible to me. I want him to know + it. And there are other men and women in that congregation who feel as I + do. Gentlemen, there is nothing I would not give to have had Christianity + put before me in that simple and inspiring way when I was a boy. And in my + opinion St. John's is more fortunate to-day than it ever has been in its + existence. Mr. Hodder should have an unanimous testimonial of appreciation + from this vestry for his courage. And if the vote requesting him to resign + prevails, I venture to predict that there is not a man on this vestry who + will not live to regret it.” + </p> + <p> + Phil Goodrich glared at Eldon Parr, who remained unmoved. + </p> + <p> + “Permit me to add,” he said, “that this controversy, in other respects + than doctrine, is more befitting to the Middle Ages than to the twentieth + century, when this Church and other denominations are passing resolutions + in their national conventions with a view to unity and freedom of belief.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Langmaid, Mr. Plimpton, and Mr. Constable sat still. Mr. Ferguson made + no move. It was Gordon Atterbury who rushed into the breach, and proved + that the extremists are allies of doubtful value. + </p> + <p> + He had, apparently, not been idle since Sunday, and was armed cap-a pie + with time-worn arguments that need not be set down. All of which went to + show that Mr. Goodrich had not referred to the Middle Ages in vain. For + Gordon Atterbury was a born school-man. But he finished by declaring, at + the end of twenty minutes (much as he regretted the necessity of saying + it), that Mr. Hodder's continuance as rector would mean the ruin of the + church in which all present took such a pride. That the great majority of + its members would never submit to what was so plainly heresy. + </p> + <p> + It was then that Mr. Plimpton gathered courage to pour oil on the waters. + There was nothing, in his opinion, he remarked smilingly, in his function + as peacemaker, to warrant anything but the most friendly interchange of + views. He was second to none in his regard for Mr. Hodder, in his + admiration for a man who had the courage of his convictions. He had not + the least doubt that Mr. Hodder did not desire to remain in the parish + when it was so apparent that the doctrines which he now preached were not + acceptable to most of those who supported the church. And he added (with + sublime magnanimity) that he wished Mr. Hodder the success which he was + sure he deserved, and gave him every assurance of his friendship. + </p> + <p> + Asa Waring was about to rise, when he perceived that Hodder himself was on + his feet. And the eyes of every man, save one, were fixed on him + irresistibly. The rector seemed unaware of it. It was Philip Goodrich who + remarked to his father-in-law, as they walked home afterwards, of the + sense he had had at that moment that there were just two men in the room,—Hodder + and Eldon Parr. All the rest were ciphers; all had lost, momentarily, + their feelings of partisanship and were conscious only of these two + intense, radiating, opposing centres of force; and no man, oddly enough, + could say which was the stronger. They seemingly met on equal terms. There + could not be the slightest doubt that the rector did not mean to yield, + and yet they might have been puzzled if they had asked themselves how they + had read the fact in his face or manner. For he betrayed neither anger nor + impatience. + </p> + <p> + No more did the financier reveal his own feelings. He still sat back in + his chair, unmoved, in apparent contemplation. The posture was familiar to + Langmaid. + </p> + <p> + Would he destroy, too, this clergyman? For the first time in his life, and + as he looked at Hodder, the lawyer wondered. Hodder did not defend + himself, made no apologies. Christianity was not a collection of + doctrines, he reminded them,—but a mode of life. If anything were + clear to him, it was that the present situation was not, with the majority + of them, a matter of doctrines, but of unwillingness to accept the message + and precept of Jesus Christ, and lead Christian lives. They had made use + of the doctrines as a stalking-horse. + </p> + <p> + There was a stir at this, and Hodder paused a moment and glanced around + the table. But no one interrupted. + </p> + <p> + He was fully aware of his rights, and he had no intention of resigning. To + resign would be to abandon the work for which he was responsible, not to + them, but to God. And he was perfectly willing—nay, eager to defend + his Christianity before any ecclesiastical court, should the bishop decide + that a court was necessary. The day of freedom, of a truer vision was at + hand, the day of Christian unity on the vital truths, and no better proof + of it could be brought forward than the change in him. In his ignorance + and blindness he had hitherto permitted compromise, but he would no longer + allow those who made only an outward pretence of being Christians to + direct the spiritual affairs of St. John's, to say what should and what + should not be preached. This was to continue to paralyze the usefulness of + the church, to set at naught her mission, to alienate those who most had + need of her, who hungered and thirsted after righteousness, and went away + unsatisfied. + </p> + <p> + He had hardly resumed his seat when Everett Constable got up again. He + remarked, somewhat unsteadily, that to prolong the controversy would be + useless and painful to all concerned, and he infinitely regretted the + necessity of putting his suggestion that the rector resign in the form of + a resolution.... The vote was taken. Six men raised their hands in favour + of his resignation—Nelson Langmaid among them: two, Asa Waring and + Philip Goodrich, were against it. After announcing the result, Hodder + rose. + </p> + <p> + “For the reason I have stated, gentlemen, I decline to resign,” he said. + “I stand upon my canonical rights.” + </p> + <p> + Francis Ferguson arose, his voice actually trembling with anger. There is + something uncanny in the passion of a man whose life has been ordered by + the inexorable rules of commerce, who has been wont to decide all + questions from the standpoint of dollars and cents. If one of his own wax + models had suddenly become animated, the effect could not have been more + startling. + </p> + <p> + In the course of this discussion, he declared, Mr. Hodder had seen fit to + make grave and in his opinion unwarranted charges concerning the lives of + some, if not all, of the gentlemen who sat here. It surprised him that + these remarks had not been resented, but he praised a Christian + forbearance on the part of his colleagues which he was unable to achieve. + He had no doubt that their object had been to spare Mr. Hodder's feelings + as much as possible, but Mr. Hodder had shown no disposition to spare + their own. He had outraged them, Mr. Ferguson thought,—wantonly so. + He had made these preposterous and unchristian charges an excuse for his + determination to remain in a position where his usefulness had ceased. + </p> + <p> + No one, unfortunately, was perfect in this life,—not even Mr. + Hodder. He, Francis Ferguson, was far from claiming to be so. But he + believed that this arraignment of the men who stood highest in the city + for decency, law, and order, who supported the Church, who revered its + doctrines, who tried to live Christian lives, who gave their time and + their money freely to it and to charities, that this arraignment was an + arrogant accusation and affront to be repudiated. He demanded that Mr. + Hodder be definite. If he had any charges to make, let him make them here + and now. + </p> + <p> + The consternation, the horror which succeeded such a stupid and unexpected + tactical blunder on the part of the usually astute Mr. Ferguson were felt + rather than visually discerned. The atmosphere might have been described + as panicky. Asa Waring and Phil Goodrich smiled as Wallis Plimpton, after + a moment's hush, scrambled to his feet, his face pale, his customary + easiness and nonchalance now the result of an obvious effort. He, too, + tried to smile, but swallowed instead as he remembered his property in + Dalton Street.... Nelson Langmaid smiled, in spite of himself... Mr. + Plimpton implored his fellow-members not to bring personalities into the + debate, and he was aware all the while of the curious, pitying expression + of the rector. He breathed a sigh of relief at the opening words of + Hodder, who followed him. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” he said, “I have no intention of being personal, even by + unanimous consent. But if Mr. Ferguson will come to me after this meeting + I shall have not the least objection to discussing this matter with him in + so far as he himself is concerned. I can only assure you now that I have + not spoken without warrant.” + </p> + <p> + There was, oddly enough, no acceptance of this offer by Mr. Ferguson. + Another silence ensued, broken, at last, by a voice for which they had all + been unconsciously waiting; a voice which, though unemotional, cold, and + matter-of-fact, was nevertheless commanding, and long accustomed to speak + with an overwhelming authority. Eldon Parr did not rise. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder,” he said, “in one respect seems to be under the delusion that + we are still in the Middle Ages, instead of the twentieth century, since + he assumes the right to meddle with the lives of his parishioners, to be + the sole judge of their actions. That assumption will not, be tolerated by + free men. I, for one, gentlemen, do not, propose to have a socialist for + the rector of the church which I attend and support. And I maintain the + privilege of an American citizen to set my own standards, within the law, + and to be the sole arbitrar of those standards.” + </p> + <p> + “Good!” muttered Gordon Atterbury. Langmaid moved uncomfortably. + </p> + <p> + “I shall not waste words,” the financier continued. “There is in my mind + no question that we are justified in demanding from our rector the + Christian doctrines to which we have given our assent, and which are + stated in the Creeds. That they shall be subject to the whims of the + rector is beyond argument. I do not pretend to, understand either, + gentlemen, the nature of the extraordinary change that has taken place in + the rector of St. John's. I am not well versed m psychology. I am + incapable of flights myself. One effect of this change is an attitude on + which reasonable considerations would seem to have no effect. + </p> + <p> + “Our resources, fortunately, are not yet at an end. It has been my hope, + on account of my former friendship with Mr. Hodder, that an ecclesiastical + trial might not be necessary. It now seems inevitable. In the meantime, + since Mr. Hodder has seen fit to remain in spite of our protest, I do not + intend to enter this church. I was prepared, gentlemen, as some of you no + doubt know, to spend a considerable sum in adding to the beauty of St. + John's and to the charitable activities of the parish. Mr. Hodder has not + disapproved of my gifts in the past, but owing to his present scruples + concerning my worthiness, I naturally hesitate to press the matter now.” + Mr. Parr indulged in the semblance of a smile. “I fear that he must take + the responsibility of delaying this benefit, with the other + responsibilities he has assumed.” + </p> + <p> + His voice changed. It became sharper. + </p> + <p> + “In short, I propose to withhold all contributions for whatever purpose + from this church while Mr. Hodder is rector, and I advise those of you who + have voted for his resignation to do the same. In the meantime, I shall + give my money to Calvary, and attend its services. And I shall offer + further a resolution—which I am informed is within our right—to + discontinue Mr. Hodder's salary.” + </p> + <p> + There was that in the unparalleled audacity of Eldon Parr that compelled + Hodder's unwilling admiration. He sat gazing at the financier during this + speech, speculating curiously on the inner consciousness of the man who + could utter it. Was it possible that he had no sense of guilt? Even so, he + had shown a remarkable astuteness in relying on the conviction that he + (Hodder) would not betray what he knew. + </p> + <p> + He was suddenly aware that Asa Waring was standing beside him. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen,” said Mr. Waring, “I have listened to this discussion as long + as I can bear it with patience. Had I been told of it, I should have + thought it incredible that the methods of the money changers should be + applied to the direction and control of the house of God. In my opinion + there is but one word which is suitable for what has passed here to-night, + and the word is persecution. Perhaps I have lived too long I have lived to + see honourable, upright men deprived of what was rightfully theirs, driven + from their livelihood by the rapacity of those who strive to concentrate + the wealth and power of the nation into their hands. I have seen this + power gathering strength, stretching its arm little by little over the + institutions I fought to preserve, and which I cherish over our politics, + over our government, yes, and even over our courts. I have seen it + poisoning the business honour in which we formerly took such a pride, I + have seen it reestablishing a slavery more pernicious than that which + millions died to efface. I have seen it compel a subservience which makes + me ashamed, as an American, to witness.” + </p> + <p> + His glance, a withering moral scorn, darted from under the grizzled + eyebrows and alighted on one man after another, and none met it. Everett + Constable coughed, Wallis Plimpton shifted his position, the others sat + like stones. Asa Waring was giving vent at last to the pent-up feelings of + many years. + </p> + <p> + “And now that power, which respects nothing, has crept into the sanctuary + of the Church. Our rector recognizes it, I recognize it,—there is + not a man here who, in his heart, misunderstands me. And when a man is + found who has the courage to stand up against it, I honour him with all my + soul, and a hope that was almost dead revives in me. For there is one + force, and one force alone, able to overcome the power of which I speak,—the + Spirit of Christ. And the mission of the Church is to disseminate that + spirit. The Church is the champion on which we have to rely, or give up + all hope of victory. The Church must train the recruits. And if the Church + herself is betrayed into the hands of the enemy, the battle is lost. + </p> + <p> + “If Mr. Hodder is forced out of this church, it would be better to lock + the doors. St. John's will be held up, and rightfully, to the scorn of the + city. All the money in the world will not save her. Though crippled, she + has survived one disgrace, when she would not give free shelter to the man + who above all others expressed her true spirit, when she drove Horace + Bentley from her doors after he had been deprived of the fortune which he + was spending for his fellow-men. She will not survive another. + </p> + <p> + “I have no doubt Mr. Parr's motion to take from Mr. Hodder his living will + go through. And still I urge him not to resign. I am not a rich man, even + when such property as I have is compared to moderate fortunes of these + days, but I would pay his salary willingly out of my own pocket rather + than see him go.... + </p> + <p> + “I call the attention of the Chairman,” said Eldon Parr, after a certain + interval in which no one had ventured to speak, “to the motion before the + vestry relating to the discontinuance of Mr. Hodder's salary.” + </p> + <p> + It was then that the unexpected happened. Gordon Atterbury redeemed + himself. His respect for Mr. Waring, he said, made him hesitate to take + issue with him. + </p> + <p> + He could speak for himself and for a number of people in the congregation + when he reiterated his opinion that they were honestly shocked at what Mr. + Hodder had preached, and that this was his sole motive in requesting Mr. + Hodder to resign. He thought, under the circumstances, that this was a + matter which might safely be left with the bishop. He would not vote to + deprive Mr. Hodder of his salary. + </p> + <p> + The motion was carried by a vote of five to three. For Eldon Parr well + knew that his will needed no reenforcement by argument. And this much was + to be said for him, that after he had entered a battle he never hesitated, + never under any circumstances reconsidered the probable effect of his + course. + </p> + <p> + As for the others, those who had supported him, they were cast in a less + heroic mould. Even Francis Ferguson. As between the devil and the deep + sea, he was compelled, with as good a grace as possible, to choose the + devil. He was utterly unable to contemplate the disaster which might ensue + if certain financial ties, which were thicker than cables, were snapped. + But his affection for the devil was not increased by thus being led into a + charge from which he would willingly have drawn back. Asa Waring might + mean nothing to Eldon Parr, but he meant a great deal to Francis Ferguson, + who had by no means forgotten his sensations of satisfaction when Mrs. + Waring had made her first call in Park Street on Francis Ferguson's wife. + He left the room in such a state of absent-mindedness as actually to pass + Mr. Parr in the corridor without speaking to him. + </p> + <p> + The case of Wallis Plimpton was even worse. He had married the Gores, but + he had sought to bind himself with hoops of steel to the Warings. He had + always secretly admired that old Roman quality (which the Goodriches—their + connections—shared) of holding fast to their course unmindful and + rather scornful of influence which swayed their neighbours. The clan was + sufficient unto itself, satisfied with a moderate prosperity and a + continually increasing number of descendants. The name was unstained. Such + are the strange incongruities in the hearts of men, that few realized the + extent to which Wallis Plimpton had partaken of the general hero-worship + of Phil Goodrich. He had assiduously cultivated his regard, at times + discreetly boasted of it, and yet had never been sure of it. And now fate, + in the form of his master, Eldon Parr had ironically compelled him at one + stroke to undo the work of years. As soon as the meeting broke up, he + crossed the room. + </p> + <p> + “I can't tell you how much I regret this, Phil,” he said. “Charlotte has + very strong convictions, you know, and so have I. You can understand, I am + sure, how certain articles of belief might be necessary to one person, and + not to another.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Phil, “I can understand. We needn't mention the articles, + Wallis.” And he turned his back. + </p> + <p> + He never knew the pain he inflicted. Wallis Plimpton looked at the rector, + who stood talking to Mr. Waring, and for the first time in his life + recoiled from an overture. + </p> + <p> + Something in the faces of both men warned him away. + </p> + <p> + Even Everett Constable, as they went home in the cars together, was brief + with him, and passed no comments when Mr. Plimpton recovered sufficiently + to elaborate on the justification of their act, and upon the extraordinary + stand taken by Phil Goodrich and Mr. Waring. + </p> + <p> + “They might have told us what they were going to do.” + </p> + <p> + Everett Constable eyed him. + </p> + <p> + “Would it have made any difference, Plimpton?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + After that they rode in silence, until they came to a certain West End + corner, where they both descended. Little Mr. Constable's sensations were, + if anything, less enviable, and he had not Mr. Plimpton's recuperative + powers. He had sold that night, for a mess of pottage, the friendship and + respect of three generations. And he had fought, for pay, against his own + people. + </p> + <p> + And lastly, there was Langmaid, whose feelings almost defy analysis. He + chose to walk through the still night the four miles—that separated + him from his home. And he went back over the years of his life until he + found, in the rubbish of the past, a forgotten and tarnished jewel. The + discovery pained him. For that jewel was the ideal he had carried away, as + a youth, from the old law school at the bottom of Hamilton Place,—a + gift from no less a man than the great lawyer and public-spirited citizen, + Judge Henry Goodrich—Philip Goodrich's grandfather, whose seated + statue marked the entrance of the library. He, Nelson Langmaid,—had + gone forth from that school resolved to follow in the footsteps of that + man,—but somehow he missed the path. Somehow the jewel had lost its + fire. There had come a tempting offer, and a struggle—just one: a + readjustment on the plea that the world had changed since the days of + Judge Goodrich, whose uncompromising figure had begun to fade: an exciting + discovery that he, Nelson Langmaid, possessed the gift of drawing up + agreements which had the faculty of passing magically through the meshes + of the Statutes. Affluence had followed, and fame, and even that high + office which the Judge himself had held, the Presidency of the State Bar + Association. In all that time, one remark, which he had tried to forget, + had cut him to the quick. Bedloe Hubbell had said on the political + platform that Langmaid got one hundred thousand dollars a year for keeping + Eldon Parr out of jail. + </p> + <p> + Once he stopped in the street, his mind suddenly going back to the action + of the financier at the vestry meeting. + </p> + <p> + “Confound him!” he said aloud, “he has been a fool for once. I told him + not to do it.” + </p> + <p> + He stood at last in the ample vestibule of his house, singling out his + latch-key, when suddenly the door opened, and his daughter Helen appeared. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, dad,” she cried, “why are you so-late? I've been watching for you. I + know you've let Mr. Hodder stay.” + </p> + <p> + She gazed at him with widened eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Don't tell me that you've made him resign. I can't—I won't believe + it.” + </p> + <p> + “He isn't going to resign, Helen,” Langmaid replied, in an odd voice. + </p> + <p> + “He—he refused to.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXV. “RISE, CROWNED WITH LIGHT!” + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + The Church of St. John's, after a peaceful existence of so many years, had + suddenly become the stage on which rapid and bewildering dramas were + played: the storm-centre of chaotic forces, hitherto unperceived, drawn + from the atmosphere around her. For there had been more publicity, more + advertising. “The Rector of St. John's will not talk”—such had been + one headline: neither would the vestry talk. And yet, despite all this + secrecy, the whole story of the suspension of Hodder's salary was in + print, and an editorial (which was sent to him) from a popular and + sensational journal, on “tainted money,” in which Hodder was held up to + the public as a martyr because he refused any longer to accept for the + Church ill-gotten gains from Consolidated Tractions and the like. + </p> + <p> + This had opened again the floodgates of the mails, and it seemed as though + every person who had a real or fancied grievance against Eldon Parr had + written him. Nor did others of his congregation escape. The press of + visitors at the parish house suddenly increased once more, men and women + came to pour into his ears an appalling aeries of confessions; wrongs + which, like Garvin's, had engendered bitter hatreds; woes, temptations, + bewilderments. Hodder strove to keep his feet, sought wisdom to deal + patiently with all, though at times he was tried to the uttermost. And he + held steadfastly before his mind the great thing, that they did come. It + was what he had longed for, prayed for, despaired of. He was no longer + crying in the empty wilderness, but at last in touch-in natural touch with + life: with life in all its sorrow, its crudity and horror. He had + contrived, by the grace of God, to make the connection for his church. + </p> + <p> + That church might have been likened to a ship sailing out of the snug + harbour in which she had lain so long to range herself gallantly beside + those whom she had formerly beheld, with complacent cowardice, fighting + her fight: young men and women, enlisted under other banners than her own, + doing their part in the battle of the twentieth century for humanity. Her + rector was her captain. It was he who had cut her cables, quelled, for a + time at least, her mutineers; and sought to hearten those of her little + crew who wavered, who shrank back appalled as they realized something of + the immensity of the conflict in which her destiny was to be wrought out. + </p> + <p> + To carry on the figure, Philip Goodrich might have been deemed her first + officer. He, at least, was not appalled, but grimly conscious of the + greatness of the task to which they had set their hands. The sudden + transformation of conservative St. John's was no more amazing than that of + the son of a family which had never been without influence in the + community. But that influence had always been conservative. And Phil + Goodrich had hitherto taken but a listless interest in the church of his + fathers. Fortune had smiled upon him, trusts had come to him unsought. He + had inherited the family talent for the law, the freedom to practise when + and where he chose. His love of active sport had led him into many + vacations, when he tramped through marsh and thicket after game, and at + five and forty there was not an ounce of superfluous flesh on his hard + body. In spite of his plain speaking, an overwhelming popularity at + college had followed him to his native place, and no organization, + sporting or serious, was formed in the city that the question was not + asked, “What does Goodrich think about it?” + </p> + <p> + His whole-souled enlistment in the cause of what was regarded as radical + religion became, therefore, the subject of amazed comment in the many + clubs he now neglected. The “squabble” in St. John's, as it was generally + referred to, had been aired in the press, but such was the magic in a name + made without conscious effort that Phil Goodrich's participation in the + struggle had a palpably disarming effect: and there were not a few men who + commonly spent their Sunday mornings behind plate-glass windows, + surrounded by newspapers, as well as some in the athletic club (whose + contests Mr. Goodrich sometimes refereed) who went to St. John's out of + curiosity and who waited, afterwards, for an interview with Phil or the + rector. The remark of one of these was typical of others. He had never + taken much stock in religion, but if Goodrich went in for it he thought + he'd go and look it over. + </p> + <p> + Scarcely a day passed that Phil did not drop in at the parish house.... + And he set himself, with all the vigour of an unsquandered manhood, to + help Hodder to solve the multitude of new problems by which they were + beset. + </p> + <p> + A free church was a magnificent ideal, but how was it to be carried on + without an Eldon Parr, a Ferguson, a Constable, a Mrs. Larrabbee, or a + Gore who would make up the deficit at the end of the year? Could weekly + contributions, on the envelope system, be relied upon, provided the people + continued to come and fill the pews of absent and outraged parishioners? + The music was the most expensive in the city, although Mr. Taylor, the + organist, had come to the rector and offered to cut his salary in half, + and to leave that in abeyance until the finances could be adjusted. And + his example had been followed by some of the high-paid men in the choir. + Others had offered to sing without pay. And there were the expenses of the + parish house, an alarming sum now Eldon Parr had withdrawn: the salaries + of the assistants. Hodder, who had saved a certain sum in past years, + would take nothing for the present.... Asa Waring and Phil Goodrich + borrowed on their own responsibility... + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Something of the overwhelming nature of the forces Hodder had summoned was + visibly apparent on that first Sunday after what many had called his + apostasy. Instead of the orderly, sprucely-dressed groups of people which + were wont to linger in greetings before the doors of St. John's, a motley + crowd thronged the pavement and streamed into the church, pressing up the + aisles and invading the sacred precincts where decorous parishioners had + for so many years knelt in comfort and seclusion. The familiar figure of + Gordon Atterbury was nowhere to be seen, and the Atterbury pew was + occupied by shop-girls in gaudy hats. Eldon Parr's pew was filled, Everett + Constable's, Wallis Plimpton's; and the ushers who had hastily been + mustered were awestricken and powerless. Such a resistless invasion by the + hordes of the unknown might well have struck with terror some of those who + hitherto had had the courage to standup loyally in the rector's support. + It had a distinct flavour of revolution: contained, for some, a grim + suggestion of a time when that vague, irresponsible, and restless monster, + the mob, would rise in its might and brutally and inexorably take + possession of all property. + </p> + <p> + Alison had met Eleanor Goodrich in Burton Street, and as the two made + their way into the crowded vestibule they encountered Martha Preston, + whose husband was Alison's cousin, in the act of flight. + </p> + <p> + “You're not going in!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Of course we are.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Preston stared at Alison in amazement. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't know you were still here,” she said, irrelevantly. “I'm pretty + liberal, my dear, as you know,—but this is more than I can stand. + Look at them!” She drew up her skirts as a woman brushed against her. “I + believe in the poor coming to church, and all that, but this is mere + vulgar curiosity, the result of all that odious advertising in the + newspapers. My pew is filled with them. If I had stayed, I should have + fainted. I don't know what to think of Mr. Hodder.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder is not to blame for the newspapers,” replied Alison, warmly. + She glanced around her at the people pushing past, her eyes shining, her + colour high, and there was the ring of passion in her voice which had do + Martha Preston a peculiarly disquieting effect. “I think it's splendid + that they are here at all! I don't care what brought them.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Preston stared again. She was a pretty, intelligent woman, at whose + dinner table one was sure to hear the discussion of some “modern problem”: + she believed herself to be a socialist. Her eyes sought Eleanor + Goodrich's, who stood by, alight with excitement. + </p> + <p> + “But surely you, Eleanor-you're not going in! You'll never be able to + stand it, even if you find a seat. The few people we know who've come are + leaving. I just saw the Allan Pendletons.” + </p> + <p> + “Have you seen Phil?” Eleanor asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes, he's in there, and even he's helpless. And as I came out poor + Mr. Bradley was jammed up against the wall. He seemed perfectly + stunned....” + </p> + <p> + At this moment they were thrust apart. Eleanor quivered as she was carried + through the swinging doors into the church. + </p> + <p> + “I think you're right,” she whispered to Alison, “it is splendid. There's + something about it that takes hold of me, that carries one away. It makes + me wonder how it can be guided—what will come of it?” + </p> + <p> + They caught sight of Phil pushing his way towards them, and his face bore + the set look of belligerency which Eleanor knew so well, but he returned + her smile. Alison's heart warmed towards him. + </p> + <p> + “What do you think of this?” he demanded. “Most of our respectable friends + who dared to come have left in a towering rage—to institute + lawsuits, probably. At tiny rate, strangers are not being made to wait + until ten minutes after the service begins. That's one barbarous custom + abolished.” + </p> + <p> + “Strangers seem to have taken matters in their own hands for once” Eleanor + smiled. “We've made up our minds to stay, Phil, even if we have to stand.” + </p> + <p> + “That's the right spirit,” declared her husband, glancing at Alison, who + had remained silent, with approval and by no means a concealed surprise. + “I think I know of a place where I can squeeze you in, near Professor + Bridges and Sally, on the side aisle.” + </p> + <p> + “Are George and Sally here?” Eleanor exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Hodder,” said Phil, “is converting the heathen. You couldn't have kept + George away. And it was George who made Sally stay!” + </p> + <p> + Presently they found themselves established between a rawboned young + workingman who smelled strongly of soap, whose hair was plastered tightly + against his forehead, and a young woman who leaned against the wall. The + black in which she was dressed enhanced the whiteness and weariness of her + face, and she sat gazing ahead of her, apparently unconscious of those who + surrounded her, her hands tightly folded in her lap. In their immediate + vicinity, indeed, might have been found all the variety of type seen in + the ordinary street car. And in truth there were some who seemed scarcely + to realize they were not in a public vehicle. An elaborately dressed + female in front of them, whose expansive hat brushed her neighbours, made + audible comments to a stout man with a red neck which was set in a crease + above his low collar. + </p> + <p> + “They tell me Eldon Parr's pew has a gold plate on it. I wish I knew which + it was. It ain't this one, anyway, I'll bet.” + </p> + <p> + “Say, they march in in this kind of a church, don't they?” some one said + behind them. + </p> + <p> + Eleanor, with her lips tightly pressed, opened her prayer book. Alison's + lips were slightly parted as she gazed about her, across the aisle. Her + experience of the Sunday before, deep and tense as it had been, seemed as + nothing compared to this; the presence of all these people stimulated her + inexpressibly, fired her; and she felt the blood pulsing through her body + as she contrasted this gathering with the dignified, scattered + congregation she had known. She scarcely recognized the church itself ... + She speculated on the homes from which these had come, and the motives + which had brought them. + </p> + <p> + For a second the perfume of the woman in front, mingling with other less + definable odours, almost sickened her, evoking suggestions of tawdry, + trivial, vulgar lives, fed on sensation and excitement; but the feeling + was almost immediately swept away by a renewed sense of the bigness of the + thing which she beheld,—of which, indeed, she was a part. And her + thoughts turned more definitely to the man who had brought it all about. + Could he control it, subdue it? Here was Opportunity suddenly upon him, + like a huge, curving, ponderous wave. Could he ride it? or would it crush + him remorselessly? + </p> + <p> + Sensitive, alert, quickened as she was, she began to be aware of other + values: of the intense spiritual hunger in the eyes of the woman in black, + the yearning of barren, hopeless existences. And here and there Alison's + look fell upon more prosperous individuals whose expressions proclaimed + incredulity, a certain cynical amusement at the spectacle: others seemed + uneasy, as having got more than they had bargained for, deliberating + whether to flee... and then, just as her suspense was becoming almost + unbearable, the service began.... + </p> + <p> + How it had been accomplished, the thing she later felt, was beyond the + range of intellectual analysis. Nor could she have told how much later, + since the passage of time had gone unnoticed. Curiosities, doubts, + passions, longings, antagonisms—all these seemed—as the most + natural thing in the world—to have been fused into one common but + ineffable emotion. Such, at least, was the impression to which Alison + startlingly awoke. All the while she had been conscious of Hodder, from + the moment she had heard his voice in the chancel; but somehow this + consciousness of him had melted, imperceptibly, into that of the great + congregation, once divided against itself, which had now achieved unity of + soul. + </p> + <p> + The mystery as to how this had been effected was the more elusive when she + considered the absence of all methods which might have been deemed + revivalistic. Few of those around her evinced a familiarity with the + historic service. And then occurred to her his explanation of personality + as the medium by which all truth is revealed, by which the current of + religion, the motive power in all history, is transmitted. Surely this was + the explanation, if it might be called one! That tingling sense of a + pervading spirit which was his,—and yet not his. He was the + incandescent medium, and yet, paradoxically, gained in identity and + individuality and was inseparable from the thing itself. + </p> + <p> + She could not see him. A pillar hid the chancel from her view. + </p> + <p> + The service, to which she had objected as archaic, became subordinate, + spiritualized, dominated by the personality. Hodder had departed from the + usual custom by giving out the page of the psalter: and the verses, the + throbbing responses which arose from every corner of the church, assumed a + new significance, the vision of the ancient seer revived. One verse he + read resounded with prophecy. + </p> + <p> + “Thou shalt deliver me from the strivings of the people: and thou shalt + make me the head of the heathen.” + </p> + <p> + And the reply: + </p> + <p> + “A people whom I have not known shall serve me.” + </p> + <p> + The working-man next to Alison had no prayer-book. She thrust her own into + his hand, and they read from it together.... + </p> + <p> + When they came to the second hymn the woman in front of her had + wonderfully shed her vulgarity. Her voice—a really good one—poured + itself out: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “See a long race thy spacious courts adorn, + See future sons, and daughters yet unborn, + In crowding ranks on every side arise, + Demanding life, impatient for the skies.” + </pre> + <p> + Once Alison would have been critical of the words She was beyond that, + now. What did it matter, if the essential Thing were present? + </p> + <p> + The sermon was a surprise. And those who had come for excitement, for the + sensation of hearing a denunciation of a class they envied and therefore + hated, and nevertheless strove to imitate, were themselves rebuked. Were + not their standards the same? And if the standard were false, it followed + inevitably that the life was false also. + </p> + <p> + Hodder fairly startled these out of their preconceived notions of + Christianity. Let them shake out of their minds everything they had + thought it to mean, churchgoing, acceptance of creed and dogma, + contributive charity, withdrawal from the world, rites and ceremonies: it + was none of these. + </p> + <p> + The motive in the world to-day was the acquisition of property; the motive + of Christianity was absolutely and uncompromisingly opposed to this. Shock + their practical sense as it might, Christianity looked forward with + steadfast faith to a time when the incentive to amass property would be + done away with, since it was a source of evil and a curse to mankind. If + they would be Christians, let them face that. Let them enter into life, + into the struggles going on around them to-day against greed, corruption, + slavery, poverty, vice and crime. Let them protest, let them fight, even + as Jesus Christ had fought and protested. For as sure as they sat there + the day would come when they would be called to account, would be asked + the question—what had they done to make the United States of America + a better place to live in? + </p> + <p> + There were in the Apostolic writings and tradition misinterpretations of + life which had done much harm. Early Christianity had kept its eyes fixed + on another world, and had ignored this: had overlooked the fact that every + man and woman was put here to do a particular work. In the first epistle + of Peter the advice was given, “submit yourselves to every ordinance of + man for the Lord's sake.” But Christ had preached democracy, + responsibility, had foreseen a millennium, the fulfilment of his Kingdom, + when all men, inspired by the Spirit, would make and keep in spirit the + ordinances of God. + </p> + <p> + Before they could do God's work and man's work they must first be + awakened, filled with desire. Desire was power. And he prayed that some of + them, on this day, would receive that desire, that power which nothing + could resist. The desire which would lead each and every one to the gates + of the Inner World which was limitless and eternal, filled with dazzling + light.... + </p> + <p> + Let them have faith then. Not credulity in a vague God they could not + imagine, but faith in the Spirit of the Universe, humanity, in Jesus + Christ who had been the complete human revelation of that Spirit, who had + suffered and died that man might not live in ignorance of it. To doubt + humanity,—such was the Great Refusal, the sin against the Holy + Ghost, the repudiation of the only true God! + </p> + <p> + After a pause, he spoke simply of his hope for St. John's. If he remained + here his ambition was that it would be the free temple of humanity, of + Jesus Christ, supported not by a few, but by all,—each in accordance + with his means. Of those who could afford nothing, nothing would be + required. Perhaps this did not sound practical, nor would it be so if the + transforming inspiration failed. He could only trust and try, hold up to + them the vision of the Church as a community of willing workers for the + Kingdom... + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + After the service was over the people lingered in the church, standing in + the pews and aisles, as though loath to leave. The woman with the perfume + and the elaborate hat was heard to utter a succinct remark. + </p> + <p> + “Say, Charlie, I guess he's all right. I never had it put like that.” + </p> + <p> + The thick-necked man's reply was inaudible. + </p> + <p> + Eleanor Goodrich was silent and a little pale as she pressed close to + Alison. Her imagination had been stretched, as it were, and she was still + held in awe by the vastness of what she had heard and seen. Vaster even + than ever,—so it appeared now,—demanding greater sacrifices + than she had dreamed of. She looked back upon the old as at receding + shores. + </p> + <p> + Alison, with absorbed fascination, watched the people; encountered, here + and there, recognitions from men and women with whom she had once danced + and dined in what now seemed a previous existence. Why had they come? and + how had they received the message? She ran into a little man, a dealer in + artists' supplies who once had sold her paints and brushes, who stared and + bowed uncertainly. She surprised him by taking his hand. + </p> + <p> + “Did you like it?” she asked, impulsively. + </p> + <p> + “It's what I've been thinking for years, Miss Parr,” he responded, + “thinking and feeling. But I never knew it was Christianity. And I never + thought—” he stopped and looked at her, alarmed. + </p> + <p> + “Oh,” she said, “I believe in it, too—or try to.” + </p> + <p> + She left him, mentally gasping.... Without, on the sidewalk, Eleanor + Goodrich was engaged in conversation with a stockily built man, inclined + to stoutness; he had a brown face and a clipped, bristly mustache. Alison + paused involuntarily, and saw him start and hesitate as his clear, direct + gaze met her own. + </p> + <p> + Bedloe Hubbell was one of those who had once sought to marry her. She + recalled him as an amiable and aimless boy; and after she had gone East + she had received with incredulity and then with amusement the news of his + venture into altruistic politics. It was his efficiency she had doubted, + not his sincerity. Later tidings, contemptuous and eventually irritable + utterances of her own father, together with accounts in the New York + newspapers of his campaign, had convinced her in spite of herself that + Bedloe Hubbell had actually shaken the seats of power. And somehow, as she + now took him in, he looked it. + </p> + <p> + His transformation was one of the signs, one of the mysteries of the + times. The ridicule and abuse of the press, the opposition and enmity of + his childhood friends, had developed the man of force she now beheld, and + who came forward to greet her. + </p> + <p> + “Alison!” he exclaimed. He had changed in one sense, and not in another. + Her colour deepened as the sound of his voice brought back the lapsed + memories of the old intimacy. For she had been kind to him, kinder than to + any other; and the news of his marriage—to a woman from the Pacific + coast—had actually induced in her certain longings and regrets. When + the cards had reached her, New York and the excitement of the life into + which she had been weakly, if somewhat unwittingly, drawn had already + begun to pall. + </p> + <p> + “I'm so glad to see you,” she told him. “I've heard—so many things. + And I'm very much in sympathy with what you're doing.” + </p> + <p> + They crossed the street, and walked away from the church together. She had + surprised him, and made him uncomfortable. + </p> + <p> + “You've been away so long,” he managed to say, “perhaps you do not realize—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes, I do,” she interrupted. “I am on the other side, on your side. I + thought of writing you, when you nearly won last autumn.” + </p> + <p> + “You see it, too?” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I've changed, too. Not so much as you,” she added, shyly. “I always + had a certain sympathy, you know, with the Robin Hoods.” + </p> + <p> + He laughed at her designation, both pleased and taken aback by her + praise... But he wondered if she knew the extent of his criticism of her + father. + </p> + <p> + “That rector is a wonderful man,” he broke out, irrelevantly. “I can't get + over' him—I can't quite grasp the fact that he exists, that he has + dared to do what he has done.” + </p> + <p> + This brought her colour back, but she faced him bravely. “You think he is + wonderful, then?” + </p> + <p> + “Don't you?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + She assented. “But I am curious to know why you do. Somehow, I never + thought of—you—” + </p> + <p> + “As religious,” he supplied. “And you? If I remember rightly—” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she interrupted, “I revolted, too. But Mr. Hodder puts it so—it + makes one wonder.” + </p> + <p> + “He has not only made me wonder,” declared Bedloe Hubbell, emphatically, + “I never knew what religion was until I heard this man last Sunday.” + </p> + <p> + “Last Sunday!” + </p> + <p> + “Until then, I hadn't been inside of a church for fifteen years,—except + to get married. My wife takes the children, occasionally, to a + Presbyterian church near us.” + </p> + <p> + “And why, did you go then?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “I am a little ashamed of my motive,” he confessed. “There were rumours—I + don't pretend to know how they got about—” he hesitated, once more + aware of delicate ground. “Wallis Plimpton said something to a man who + told me. I believe I went out of sheer curiosity to hear what Hodder would + have to say. And then, I had been reading, wondering whether there were + anything in Christianity, after all.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes?” she said, careless now as to what cause he might attribute her + eagerness. “And he gave you something?” + </p> + <p> + It was then she grasped the truth that this sudden renewed intimacy was + the result of the impression Hodder had left upon the minds of both. + </p> + <p> + “He gave me everything,” Bedloe Hubbell replied. “I am willing to + acknowledge it freely. In his explanation of the parable of the Prodigal + Son, he gave me the clew to our modern times. What was for me an + inextricable puzzle has become clear as day. He has made me understand, at + last, the force which stirred me, which goaded me until I was fairly + compelled to embark in the movement which the majority of our citizens + still continue to regard as quixotic. I did not identify that force with + religion, then, and when I looked back on the first crazy campaign we + embarked upon, with the whole city laughing at me and at the obscure and + impractical personnel we had, there were moments when it seemed + incomprehensible folly. I had nothing to gain, and everything to lose by + such a venture. I was lazy and easy-going, as you know. I belonged to the + privileged class, I had sufficient money to live in comparative luxury all + my days, I had no grudge against these men whom I had known all my life.” + </p> + <p> + “But it must have had some beginning,” said Alison. + </p> + <p> + “I was urged to run for the city council, by these very men.” Bedloe + Hubbell smiled at the recollection. “They accuse me now of having indulged + once in the same practice, for which I am condemning them. Our company did + accept rebates, and we sought favours from the city government. I have + confessed it freely on the platform. Even during my first few months in + the council what may be called the old political practices seemed natural + to me. But gradually the iniquity of it all began to dawn on me, and then + I couldn't rest until I had done something towards stopping it. + </p> + <p> + “At length I began to see,” he continued, “that education of the masses + was to be our only preserver, that we should have to sink or swim by that. + I began to see, dimly, that this was true for other movements going on + to-day. Now comes Hodder with what I sincerely believe is the key. He + compels men like me to recognize that our movements are not merely moral, + but religious. Religion, as yet unidentified, is the force behind these + portentous stirrings of politics in our country, from sea to sea. He aims, + not to bring the Church into politics, but to make her the feeder of these + movements. Men join them to-day from all motives, but the religious is the + only one to which they may safely be trusted. He has rescued the jewel + from the dust-heap of tradition, and holds it up, shining, before our + eyes.” + </p> + <p> + Alison looked at her companion. + </p> + <p> + “That,” she said, “is a very beautiful phrase.” + </p> + <p> + Bedloe Hubbell smiled queerly. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know why I'm telling you all this. I can't usually talk about it. + But the sight of that congregation this morning, mixed as it was, and the + way he managed to weld it together.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, you noticed that!” she exclaimed sharply. + </p> + <p> + “Noticed it!” + </p> + <p> + “I know. It was a question of feeling it.” + </p> + <p> + There was a silence. + </p> + <p> + “Will he succeed?” she asked presently. + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” said Bedloe Hubbell, “how is it possible to predict it? The forces + against him are tremendous, and it is usually the pioneer who suffers. I + agree absolutely with his definition of faith, I have it. And the work he + has done already can never be undone. The time is ripe, and it is + something that he has men like Phil Goodrich behind him, and Mr. Waring. + I'm going to enlist, and from now on I intend to get every man and woman + upon whom I have any influence whatever to go to that church....” A little + later Alison, marvelling, left him. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVI. THE CURRENT OF LIFE + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + The year when Hodder had gone east—to Bremerton and Bar Harbor, he + had read in the train a magazine article which had set fire to his + imagination. It had to do with the lives of the men, the engineers who + dared to deal with the wild and terrible power of the western hills, who + harnessed and conquered roaring rivers, and sent the power hundreds of + miles over the wilderness, by flimsy wires, to turn the wheels of industry + and light the dark places of the cities. And, like all men who came into + touch with elemental mysteries, they had their moments of pure ecstasy, + gaining a tingling, intenser life from the contact with dynamic things; + and other moments when, in their struggle for mastery, they were buffeted + about, scorched, and almost overwhelmed. + </p> + <p> + In these days the remembrance of that article came back to Hodder. It was + as though he, too, were seeking to deflect and guide a force—the + Force of forces. He, too, was buffeted, scorched, and bruised, at periods + scarce given time to recover himself in the onward rush he himself had + started, and which he sought to control. Problems arose which demanded the + quick thinking of emergency. He, too, had his moments of reward, the + reward of the man who is in touch with reality. + </p> + <p> + He lived, from day to day, in a bewildering succession of encouragements + and trials, all unprecedented. If he remained at St. John's, an entire new + organization would be necessary.... He did not as yet see it clearly; and + in the meantime, with his vestry alienated, awaiting the bishop's + decision, he could make no definite plans, even if he had had the leisure. + Wholesale desertions had occurred in the guilds and societies, the + activities of which had almost ceased. Little Tomkinson, the second + assistant, had resigned; and McCrae, who worked harder than ever before, + was already marked, Hodder knew, for dismissal if he himself were + defeated. + </p> + <p> + And then there was the ever present question of money. It remained to be + seen whether a system of voluntary offerings were practicable. For Hodder + had made some inquiries into the so-called “free churches,” only to + discover that there were benefactors behind them, benefactors the + Christianity of whose lives was often doubtful. + </p> + <p> + One morning he received in the mail the long-expected note from the + bishop, making an appointment for the next day. Hodder, as he read it over + again, smiled to himself... He could gather nothing of the mind of the + writer from the contents. + </p> + <p> + The piece of news which came to him on the same morning swept completely + the contemplations of the approaching interview from his mind. Sally + Grover stopped in at the parish house on her way to business. + </p> + <p> + “Kate Marcy's gone,” she announced, in her abrupt fashion. + </p> + <p> + “Gone!” he exclaimed, and stared at her in dismay. “Gone where?” + </p> + <p> + “That's just it,” said Miss Grover. “I wish I knew. I reckon we'd got into + the habit of trusting her too much, but it seemed the only way. She wasn't + in her room last night, but Ella Finley didn't find it out until this + morning, and she ran over scared to death, to tell us about it.” + </p> + <p> + Involuntarily the rector reached for his hat. + </p> + <p> + “I've sent out word among our friends in Dalton Street,” Sally continued. + An earthquake could not have disturbed her outer, matter-of-fact calmness. + But Hodder was not deceived: he knew that she was as profoundly grieved + and discouraged as himself. “And I've got old Gratz, the cabinet-maker, on + the job. If she's in Dalton Street, he'll find her.” + </p> + <p> + “But what—?” Hodder began. + </p> + <p> + Sally threw up her hands. + </p> + <p> + “You never can tell, with that kind. But it sticks in my mind she's done + something foolish.” + </p> + <p> + “Foolish?” + </p> + <p> + Sally twitched, nervously. + </p> + <p> + “Somehow I don't think it's a spree—but as I say, you can't tell. + She's full of impulses. You remember how she frightened us once before, + when she went off and stayed all night with the woman she used to know in + the flat house, when she heard she was sick?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder nodded. + </p> + <p> + “You've inquired there?” + </p> + <p> + “That woman went to the hospital, you know. She may be with another one. + If she is, Gratz ought to find her... You know there was a time, Mr. + Hodder, when I didn't have much hope that we'd pull her through. But we + got hold of her through her feelings. She'd do anything for Mr. Bentley—she'd + do anything for you, and the way she stuck to that embroidery was fine. I + don't say she was cured, but whenever she'd feel one of those fits coming + on she'd let us know about it, and we'd watch her. And I never saw one of + that kind change so. Why, she must be almost as good looking now as she + ever was.” + </p> + <p> + “You don't think she has done anything—desperate?” asked Hodder, + slowly. + </p> + <p> + Sally comprehended. + </p> + <p> + “Well—somehow I don't. She used to say if she ever got drunk again + she'd never come back. But she didn't have any money—she's given Mr. + Bentley every cent of it. And we didn't have any warning. She was as + cheerful as could be yesterday morning, Mrs. McQuillen says.” + </p> + <p> + “It might not do any harm to notify the police,” replied Hodder, rising. + “I'll go around to headquarters now.” + </p> + <p> + He was glad of the excuse for action. He could not have sat still. And as + he walked rapidly across Burton Street he realized with a pang how much + his heart had been set on Kate Marcy's redemption. In spite of the fact + that every moment of his time during the past fortnight had been absorbed + by the cares, responsibilities, and trials thrust upon him, he reproached + himself for not having gone oftener to Dalton Street. And yet, if Mr. + Bentley and Sally Grower had been unable to foresee and prevent this, what + could he have done? + </p> + <p> + At police headquarters he got no news. The chief received him + deferentially, sympathetically, took down Kate Marcy's description, went + so far as to remark, sagely, that too much mustn't be expected of these + women, and said he would notify the rector if she were found. The chief + knew and admired Mr. Bentley, and declared he was glad to meet Mr. + Hodder... Hodder left, too preoccupied to draw any significance from the + nature of his welcome. He went at once to Mr. Bentley's. + </p> + <p> + The old gentleman was inclined to be hopeful, to take Sally Grower's view + of the matter.. He trusted, he said, Sally's instinct. And Hodder came + away less uneasy, not a little comforted by a communion which never failed + to fortify him, to make him marvel at the calmness of that world in which + his friend lived, a calmness from which no vicarious sorrow was excluded. + And before Hodder left, Mr. Bentley had drawn from him some account of the + more recent complexities at the church. The very pressure of his hand + seemed to impart courage. + </p> + <p> + “You won't stay and have dinner with me?” + </p> + <p> + The rector regretfully declined. + </p> + <p> + “I hear the bishop has returned,” said Mr. Bentley, smiling. + </p> + <p> + Hodder was surprised. He had never heard Mr. Bentley speak of the bishop. + Of course he must know him. + </p> + <p> + “I have my talk with him to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Bentley said nothing, but pressed his hand again.... + </p> + <p> + On Tower Street, from the direction of the church, he beheld a young man + and a young woman approaching him absorbed in conversation. Even at a + distance both seemed familiar, and presently he identified the lithe and + dainty figure in the blue dress as that of the daughter of his vestryman, + Francis Ferguson. Presently she turned her face, alight with animation, + from her companion, and recognized him. + </p> + <p> + “It's Mr. Hodder!” she exclaimed, and was suddenly overtaken with a + crimson shyness. The young man seemed equally embarrassed as they stood + facing the rector. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid you don't remember me, Mr. Hodder,” he said. “I met you at Mr. + Ferguson's last spring.” + </p> + <p> + Then it came to him. This was the young man who had made the faux pas + which had caused Mrs. Ferguson so much consternation, and who had so + manfully apologized afterwards. His puzzled expression relaxed into a + smile, and he took the young man's hand. + </p> + <p> + “I was going to write to you,” said Nan, as she looked up at the rector + from under the wide brim of her hat. “Our engagement is to be announced + Wednesday.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder congratulated them. There was a brief silence, when Nan said + tremulously: + </p> + <p> + “We're coming to St. John's!” + </p> + <p> + “I'm very glad,” Hodder replied, gravely. It was one of those compensating + moments, for him, when his tribulations vanished; and the tributes of the + younger generation were those to which his heart most freely responded. + But the situation, in view of the attitude of Francis Ferguson, was too + delicate to be dwelt upon. + </p> + <p> + “I came to hear you last Sunday, Mr. Hodder,” the young man volunteered, + with that mixture of awkwardness and straightforwardness which often + characterize his sex and age in referring to such matters. “And I had an + idea of writing you, too, to tell you how much I liked what you said. But + I know you must have had many letters. You've made me think.” + </p> + <p> + He flushed, but met the rector's eye. Nan stood regarding him with pride. + </p> + <p> + “You've made me think, too,” she added. “And we intend to pitch in and + help you, if we can be of any use.” + </p> + <p> + He parted from them, wondering. And it was not until he had reached the + parish house that it occurred to him that he was as yet unenlightened as + to the young man's name.... + </p> + <p> + His second reflection brought back to his mind Kate Mercy, for it was with + a portion of Nan Ferguson's generous check that her board had been paid. + And he recalled the girl's hope, as she had given it to him, that he would + find some one in Dalton Street to help.... + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + There might, to the mundane eye, have been an element of the ridiculous in + the spectacle of the rector of St. John's counting his gains, since he had + chosen—with every indication of insanity—to bring the pillars + of his career crashing down on his own head. By no means the least, + however, of the treasures flung into his lap was the tie which now bound + him to the Philip Goodriches, which otherwise would never have been + possible. And as he made his way thither on this particular evening, a + renewed sense came upon him of his emancipation from the dreary, useless + hours he had been wont to spend at other dinner tables. That existence + appeared to him now as the glittering, feverish unreality of a nightmare + filled with restless women and tired men who drank champagne, thus + gradually achieving—by the time cigars were reached—an + artificial vivacity. The caprice and superficiality of the one sex, the + inability to dwell upon or even penetrate a serious subject, the blindness + to what was going on around them; the materialism, the money standard of + both, were nauseating in the retrospect. + </p> + <p> + How, indeed, had life once appeared so distorted to him, a professed + servant of humanity, as to lead him in the name of duty into that galley? + </p> + <p> + Such was the burden of his thought when the homelike front of the Goodrich + house greeted him in the darkness, its enshrouded windows gleaming with + friendly light. As the door opened, the merry sound of children's laughter + floated down the stairs, and it seemed to Hodder as though a curse had + been lifted.... The lintel of this house had been marked for salvation, + the scourge had passed it by: the scourge of social striving which lay + like a blight on a free people. + </p> + <p> + Within, the note of gentility, of that instinctive good taste to which + many greater mansions aspired in vain, was sustained. The furniture, the + pictures, the walls and carpets were true expressions of the individuality + of master and mistress, of the unity of the life lived together; and the + rector smiled as he detected, in a corner of the hall, a sturdy but + diminutive hobby-horse—here the final, harmonious touch. There was + the sound of a scuffle, treble shrieks of ecstasy from above, and Eleanor + Goodrich came out to welcome him. + </p> + <p> + “Its Phil,” she told him in laughing despair, “he upsets all my + discipline, and gets them so excited they don't go to sleep for hours...” + </p> + <p> + Seated in front of the fire in the drawing-room, he found Alison Parr. Her + coolness, her radiancy, her complete acceptance of the situation, all this + and more he felt from the moment he touched her hand and looked into her + face. And never had she so distinctly represented to him the mysterious + essence of fate. Why she should have made the fourth at this intimate + gathering, and whether or not she was or had been an especial friend of + Eleanor Goodrich he did not know. There was no explanation.... + </p> + <p> + A bowl of superb chrysanthemums occupied the centre of the table. Eleanor + lifted them off and placed them on the sideboard. + </p> + <p> + “I've got used to looking at Phil,” she explained, “and craning is so + painful.” + </p> + <p> + The effect at first was to increase the intensity of the intimacy. There + was no reason—he told himself—why Alison's self-possession + should have been disturbed; and as he glanced at her from time to time he + perceived that it was not. So completely was she mistress of herself that + presently he felt a certain faint resentment rising within him,—yet + he asked himself why she should not have been. It was curious that his + imagination would not rise, now, to a realization of that intercourse on + which, at times, his fancy had dwelt with such vividness. The very + interest, the eagerness with which she took part in their discussions + seemed to him in the nature of an emphatic repudiation of any ties to him + which might have been binding. + </p> + <p> + All this was only, on Hodder's part, to be aware of the startling + discovery as to how strong his sense of possession had been, and how + irrational, how unwarranted. + </p> + <p> + For he had believed himself, as regarding her, to have made the supreme + renunciation of his life. And the very fact that he had not consulted, + could not consult her feelings and her attitude made that renunciation no + less difficult. All effort, all attempt at achievement of the only woman + for whom he had ever felt the sublime harmony of desire—the harmony + of the mind and the flesh—was cut off. + </p> + <p> + To be here, facing her again in such close proximity, was at once a + pleasure and a torture. And gradually he found himself yielding to the + pleasure, to the illusion of permanency created by her presence. And, when + all was said, he had as much to be grateful for as he could reasonably + have wished; yes, and more. The bond (there was a bond, after all!) which + united them was unbreakable. They had forged it together. The future would + take care of itself. + </p> + <p> + The range of the conversation upon which they at length embarked was a + tacit acknowledgment of a relationship which now united four persons who, + six months before, would have believed themselves to have had nothing in + common. And it was characteristic of the new interest that it transcended + the limits of the parish of St. John's, touched upon the greater affairs + to which that parish—if their protest prevailed—would now be + dedicated. Not that the church was at once mentioned, but subtly implied + as now enlisted,—and emancipated henceforth from all ecclesiastical + narrowness.... The amazing thing by which Hodder was suddenly struck was + the naturalness with which Alison seemed to fit into the new scheme. It + was as though she intended to remain there, and had abandoned all + intention of returning to the life which apparently she had once + permanently and definitely chosen.... + </p> + <p> + Bedloe Hubbell's campaign was another topic. And Phil had observed, with + the earnestness which marked his more serious statements, that it wouldn't + surprise him if young Carter, Hubbell's candidate for mayor, overturned + that autumn the Beatty machine. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, do you think so!” Alison exclaimed with exhilaration. + </p> + <p> + “They're frightened and out of breath,” said Phil, “they had no idea that + Bedloe would stick after they had licked him in three campaigns. Two years + ago they tried to buy him off by offering to send him to the Senate, and + Wallis Plimpton has never got through his head to this why he refused.” + </p> + <p> + Plimpton's head, Eleanor declared dryly, was impervious to a certain kind + of idea. + </p> + <p> + “I wonder if you know, Mr. Hodder, what an admirer Mr. Hubbell is of + yours?” Alison asked. “He is most anxious to have a talk with you.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not know. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Phil, enthusiastically, to the rector, “that's the best + tribute you've had yet. I can't say that Bedloe was a more unregenerate + heathen than I was, but he was pretty bad.” + </p> + <p> + This led them, all save Hodder, into comments on the character of the + congregation the Sunday before, in the midst of which the rector was + called away to the telephone. Sally Grover had promised to let him know + whether or not they had found Kate Marcy, and his face was grave when he + returned.... He was still preoccupied, an hour later, when Alison arose to + go. + </p> + <p> + “But your carriage isn't here,” said Phil, going to the window. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I preferred to, walk,” she told him, “it isn't far.” + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + A blood-red October moon shed the fulness of its light on the silent + houses, and the trees, still clinging to leaf, cast black shadows across + the lawns and deserted streets. The very echoes of their footsteps on the + pavement seemed to enhance the unreality of their surroundings: Some of + the residences were already closed for the night, although the hour was + not late, and the glow behind the blinds of the others was nullified by + the radiancy from above. To Hodder, the sense of their isolation had never + been more complete. + </p> + <p> + Alison, while repudiating the notion that an escort were needed in a + neighbourhood of such propriety and peace, had not refused his offer to + accompany her. And Hodder felt instinctively, as he took his place beside + her, a sense of climax. This situation, like those of the past, was not of + his own making. It was here; confronting him, and a certain inevitable + intoxication at being once, more alone with her prevented him from forming + any policy with which to deal with it. He might either trust himself, or + else he might not. And as she said, the distance was not great. But he + could not help wondering, during those first moments of silence, whether + she comprehended the strength of the temptation to which she subjected + him.... + </p> + <p> + The night was warm. She wore a coat, which was open, and from time to time + he caught the gleam of the moonlight on the knotted pearls at her throat. + Over her head she had flung, mantilla-like, a black lace scarf, the effect + of which was, in the soft luminosity encircling her, to add to the quality + of mystery never exhausted. If by acquiescing in his company she had owned + to a tie between them, the lace shawl falling over the tails of her dark + hair and framing in its folds her face, had somehow made her once more a + stranger. Nor was it until she presently looked up into his face with a + smile that this impression was, if not at once wholly dissipated, at least + contradicted. + </p> + <p> + Her question, indeed, was intimate. + </p> + <p> + “Why did you come with me?” + </p> + <p> + “Why?” he repeated, taken aback. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. I'm sure you have something you wish to do, something which + particularly worries you.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” he answered, appraising her intuition of him, “there is nothing I + can do, to-night. A young woman in whom Mr. Bentley is interested, in whom + I am interested, has disappeared. But we have taken all the steps possible + towards finding her.” + </p> + <p> + “It was nothing—more serious, then? That, of course, is serious + enough. Nothing, I mean, directly affecting your prospects of remaining—where + you are?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” he answered. He rejoiced fiercely that she should have asked him. + The question was not bold, but a natural resumption of the old footing + “Not that I mean to imply,” he added, returning her smile, “that those + prospects' are in any way improved.” + </p> + <p> + “Are they any worse?” she said. + </p> + <p> + “I see the bishop to-morrow. I have no idea what position he will take. + But even if he should decide not to recommend me for trial many difficult + problems still remain to be solved.” + </p> + <p> + “I know. It's fine,” she continued, after a moment, “the way you are going + ahead as if there were no question of your not remaining; and getting all + those people into the church and influencing them as you did when they had + come for all sorts of reasons. Do you remember, the first time I met you, + I told you I could not think of you as a clergyman. I cannot now—less + than ever.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you think of me as?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” she considered. “You are unlike any person I have ever + known. It is curious that I cannot now even think of St. John's as a + church. You have transformed it into something that seems new. I'm afraid + I can't describe what I mean, but you have opened it up, let in the fresh + air, rid it of the musty and deadening atmosphere which I have always + associated with churches. I wanted to see you, before I went away,” she + went on steadily, “and when Eleanor mentioned that you were coming to her + house to-night, I asked her to invite me. Do you think me shameless?” + </p> + <p> + The emphasis of his gesture was sufficient. He could not trust himself to + speak. + </p> + <p> + “Writing seemed so unsatisfactory, after what you had done for me, and I + never can express myself in writing. I seem to congeal.” + </p> + <p> + “After what I have done for you!” he exclaimed: “What can I have done?” + </p> + <p> + “You have done more than you know,” she answered, in a low voice. “More, I + think, than I know. How are such things to be measured, put into words? + You have effected some change in me which defies analysis, a change of + attitude,—to attempt to dogmatize it would ruin it. I prefer to + leave it undefined—not even to call it an acquisition of faith. I + have faith,” she said, simply, “in what you have become, and which has + made you dare, superbly, to cast everything away... It is that, more than + anything you have said. What you are.” + </p> + <p> + For the instant he lost control of himself. + </p> + <p> + “What you are,” he replied. “Do you realize—can you ever realize + what your faith in me has been to me?” + </p> + <p> + She appeared to ignore this. + </p> + <p> + “I did not mean to say that you have not made many things clear, which + once were obscure, as I wrote you. You have convinced me that true belief, + for instance, is the hardest thing in the world, the denial of practically + all these people, who profess to believe, represent. The majority of them + insist that humanity is not to be trusted...” + </p> + <p> + They had reached, in an incredibly brief time, the corner of Park Street. + </p> + <p> + “When are you leaving?” he asked, in a voice that sounded harsh in his own + ears. + </p> + <p> + “Come!” she said gently, “I'm not going in yet, for a while.” + </p> + <p> + The Park lay before them, an empty, garden filled with checquered light + and shadows under the moon. He followed her across the gravel, glistening + with dew, past the statue of the mute statesman with arm upraised, into + pastoral stretches—a delectable country which was theirs alone. He + did not take it in, save as one expression of the breathing woman at his + side. He was but partly conscious of a direction he had not chosen. His + blood throbbed violently, and a feeling of actual physical faintness was + upon him. He was being led, helplessly, all volition gone, and the very + idea of resistance became chimerical.... + </p> + <p> + There was a seat under a tree, beside a still lake burnished by the moon. + It seemed as though he could not bear the current of her touch, and yet + the thought of its removal were less bearable... For she had put her own + hand out, not shyly, but with a movement so fraught with grace, so natural + that it was but the crowning bestowal. + </p> + <p> + “Alison!” he cried, “I can't ask it of you. I have no right—” + </p> + <p> + “You're not asking it,” she answered. “It is I who am asking it.” + </p> + <p> + “But I have no future—I may be an outcast to-morrow. I have nothing + to offer you.” He spoke more firmly now, more commandingly. + </p> + <p> + “Don't you see, dear, that it is just because your future as obscure that + I can do this? You never would have done it, I know,—and I couldn't + face that. Don't you understand that I am demanding the great sacrifice?” + </p> + <p> + “Sacrifice!” he repeated. His fingers turned, and closed convulsively on + hers. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sacrifice,” she said gently. “Isn't it the braver thing?” + </p> + <p> + Still he failed to catch her meaning. + </p> + <p> + “Braver,” she explained, with her wonderful courage, “braver if I love + you, if I need you, if I cannot do without you.” + </p> + <p> + He took her in his arms, crushing her to him in his strength, in one + ineffable brief moment finding her lips, inhaling the faint perfume of her + smooth akin. Her lithe figure lay passively against him, in marvellous, + unbelievable surrender. + </p> + <p> + “I see what you mean,” he said, at length, “I should have been a coward. + But I could not be sure that you loved me.” + </p> + <p> + So near was her face that he could detect, even under the obscurity of the + branches, a smile. + </p> + <p> + “And so I was reduced to this! I threw my pride to the winds,” she + whispered. “But I don't care. I was determined, selfishly, to take + happiness.” + </p> + <p> + “And to give it,” he added, bending down to her. The supreme quality of + its essence was still to be doubted, a bright star-dust which dazzled him, + to evaporate before his waking eyes. And, try as he would, he could not + realize to the full depth the boy of contact with a being whom, by + discipline, he had trained his mind to look upon as the unattainable. They + had spoken of the future, yet in these moments any consideration of it was + blotted out... It was only by degrees that he collected himself + sufficiently to be able to return to it... Alison took up the thread. + </p> + <p> + “Surely,” she said, “sacrifice is useless unless it means something, + unless it be a realization. It must be discriminating. And we should both + of us have remained incomplete if we had not taken—this. You would + always, I think, have been the one man for me,—but we should have + lost touch.” He felt her tremble. “And I needed you. I have needed you all + my life—one in whom h might have absolute faith. That is my faith, + of which I could not tell you awhile ago. Is it—sacrilegious?” + </p> + <p> + She looked up at him. He shook his head, thinking of his own. It seemed + the very distillation of the divine. “All my life,” she went on, “I have + been waiting for the one who would risk everything. Oh, if you had + faltered the least little bit, I don't know what I should have done. That + would have destroyed what was left of me, put out, I think, the flickering + fire that remained, instead of fanning it into flame. You cannot know how + I watched you, how I prayed! I think it was prayer—I am sure it was. + And it was because you did not falter, because you risked all, that you + gained me. You have gained only what you yourself made, more than I ever + was, more than I ever expected to be.” + </p> + <p> + “Alison!” he remonstrated, “you mustn't say that.” + </p> + <p> + She straightened up and gazed at him, taking one of his hands in her lithe + fingers. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, but I must! It is the truth. I felt that you cared—women are + surer in such matters than men. I must conceal nothing from you—nothing + of my craftiness. Women are crafty, you know. And suppose you fail? Ah, I + do not mean failure—you cannot fail, now. You have put yourself + forever beyond failure. But what I mean is, suppose you were compelled to + leave St. John's, and I came to you then as I have come now, and begged to + take my place beside you? I was afraid to risk it. I was afraid you would + not take me, even now, to-night. Do you realize how austere you are at + times, how you have frightened me?” + </p> + <p> + “That I should ever have done that!” he said. + </p> + <p> + “When I looked at you in the pulpit you seemed so far from me, I could + scarcely bear it. As if I had no share in you, as if you had already gone + to a place beyond, where I could not go, where I never could. Oh, you will + take me with you, now,—you won't leave me behind!” + </p> + <p> + To this cry every fibre of his soul responded. He had thought himself, in + these minutes, to have known all feelings, all thrills, but now, as he + gathered her to him again, he was to know still another, the most + exquisite of all. That it was conferred upon him to give this woman + protection, to shield and lift her, inspire her as she inspired him—this + consciousness was the most exquisite of all, transcending all conception + of the love of woman. And the very fulness of her was beyond him. A + lifetime were insufficient to exhaust her.... + </p> + <p> + “I wanted to come to you now, John. I want to share your failure, if it + comes—all your failures. Because they will be victories—don't + you see? I have never been able to achieve that kind of victory—real + victory, by myself. I have always succumbed, taken the baser, the easier + thing.” Her cheek was wet. “I wasn't strong enough, by myself, and I never + knew the stronger one.... + </p> + <p> + “See what my trust in you has been! I knew that you would not refuse me in + spite of the fact that the world may misunderstand, may sneer at your + taking me. I knew that you were big enough even for that, when you + understood it, coming from me. I wanted to be with you, now, that we might + fight it out together.” + </p> + <p> + “What have I done to deserve so priceless a thing?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + She smiled at him again, her lip trembling. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I'm not priceless, I'm only real, I'm only human—human and + tired. You are so strong, you can't know how tired. Have you any idea why + I came out here, this summer? It was because I was desperate—because + I had almost decided to marry some one else.” + </p> + <p> + She felt him start. + </p> + <p> + “I was afraid of it;” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Were you? Did you think, did you wonder a little about me?” There was a + vibrant note of triumph to which he reacted. She drew away from him. a + little. “Perhaps, when you know how sordid my life has been, you won't + want me.” + </p> + <p> + “Is—Is that your faith, Alison?” he demanded. “God forbid! You have + come to a man who also has confessions to make.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I am glad. I want to know all of you—all, do you understand? + That will bring us even closer together. And it was one thing I felt about + you in the beginning, that day in the garden, that you had had much to + conquer—more than most men. It was a part of your force and of your + knowledge of life. You were not a sexless ascetic who preached a mere + neutral goodness. Does that shock you?” + </p> + <p> + He smiled in turn. + </p> + <p> + “I went away from here, as I once told you, full of a high resolution not + to trail the honour of my art—if I achieved art—in the dust. + But I have not only trailed my art—I trailed myself. In New York I + became contaminated,—the poison of the place, of the people with + whom I came in contact, got into my blood. Little by little I yielded—I + wanted so to succeed, to be able to confound those who had doubted and + ridiculed me! I wasn't content to wait to deny myself for the ideal. + Success was in the air. That was the poison, and I only began to realize + it after it was too late. + </p> + <p> + “Please don't think I am asking pity—I feel that you must know. From + the very first my success—which was really failure—began to + come in the wrong way. As my father's daughter I could not be obscure. I + was sought out, I was what was called picturesque, I suppose. The women + petted me, although some of them hated me, and I had a fascination for a + certain kind of men—the wrong kind. I began going to dinners, house + parties, to recognize, that advantages came that way.... It seemed quite + natural. It was what many others of my profession tried to do, and they + envied me my opportunities. + </p> + <p> + “I ought to say, in justice to myself, that I was not in the least cynical + about it. I believed I was clinging to the ideal of art, and that all I + wanted was a chance. And the people I went with had the same + characteristics, only intensified, as those I had known here. Of course I + was actually no better than the women who were striving frivolously to get + away from themselves, and the men who were fighting to get money. Only I + didn't know it. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my chance came at last. I had done several little things, when an + elderly man who is tremendously rich, whose name you would recognize if I + mentioned it, gave me an order. For weeks, nearly every day, he came to my + studio for tea, to talk over the plans. I was really unsophisticated then—but + I can see now—well, that the garden was a secondary + consideration.... And the fact that I did it for him gave me a standing I + should not otherwise have had.... Oh, it is sickening to look back upon, + to think what an idiot I was in how little I saw.... + </p> + <p> + “That garden launched me, and I began to have more work than I could do. I + was conscientious about it tried—tried to make every garden better + than the last. But I was a young woman, unconventionally living alone, and + by degrees the handicap of my sex was brought home to me. I did not feel + the pressure at first, and then—I am ashamed to say—it had in + it an element of excitement, a sense of power. The poison was at work. I + was amused. I thought I could carry it through, that the world had + advanced sufficiently for a woman to do anything if she only had the + courage. And I believed I possessed a true broadness of view, and could + impress it, so far as I was concerned, on others.... + </p> + <p> + “As I look back upon it all, I believe my reputation for coldness saved + me, yet it was that very reputation which increased the pressure, and + sometimes I was fairly driven into a corner. It seemed to madden some men—and + the disillusionments began to come. Of course it was my fault—I + don't pretend to say it wasn't. There were many whom, instinctively, I was + on my guard against, but some I thought really nice, whom I trusted, + revealed a side I had not suspected. That was the terrible thing! And yet + I held to my ideal, tattered as it was...” + </p> + <p> + Alison was silent a moment, still clinging to his hand, and when she spoke + again it was with a tremor of agitation. + </p> + <p> + “It is hard, to tell you this, but I wish you to know. At last I met a + man, comparatively young, who was making his own way in New York, + achieving a reputation as a lawyer. Shall I tell you that I fell in love + with him? He seemed to bring a new freshness into my life when I was + beginning to feel the staleness of it. Not that I surrendered at once, but + the reservations of which I was conscious at the first gradually + disappeared—or rather I ignored them. He had charm, a magnificent + self-confidence, but I think the liberality of the opinions he expressed, + in regard to women, most appealed to me. I was weak on that side, and I + have often wondered whether he knew it. I believed him incapable of a + great refusal. + </p> + <p> + “He agreed, if I consented to marry him, that I should have my freedom—freedom + to live in my own life and to carry on my profession. Fortunately, the + engagement was never announced, never even suspected. One day he hinted + that I should return to my father for a month or two before the + wedding.... The manner in which he said it suddenly turned me cold. Oh,” + Alison exclaimed, “I was quite willing to go back, to pay my father a + visit, as I had done nearly every year, but—how can I tell you?—he + could not believe that I had definitely given up-my father's money.... + </p> + <p> + “I sat still and looked at him, I felt as if I were frozen, turned to + stone. And after a long while, since I would not speak to him, he went + out... Three months later he came back and said that I had misunderstood + him, that he couldn't live without me. I sent him away.... Only the other + day he married Amy Grant, one of my friends.... + </p> + <p> + “Well, after that, I was tired—so tired! Everything seemed to go out + of life. It wasn't that I loved him any longer,—all had been + crushed. But the illusion was gone, and I saw myself as I was. And for the + first time in my life I felt defenceless, helpless. I wanted refuge. Did + you ever hear of Jennings Howe?” + </p> + <p> + “The architect?” + </p> + <p> + Alison nodded. “Of course you must have—he is so well known. He has + been a widower for several years. He liked my work, saw its defects, and + was always frank about them, and I designed a good many gardens in + connection with his houses. He himself is above all things an artist, and + he fell into the habit of coming to my studio and giving me friendly + advice, in the nicest way. He seemed to understand that I was going + through some sort of a crisis. He called it 'too much society.' And then, + without any warning, he asked me to marry him. + </p> + <p> + “That is why I came out here—to think it over. I didn't love him, + and I told him so, but I respected him. + </p> + <p> + “He never compromised in his art, and I have known him over and over to + refuse houses because certain conditions were stipulated. To marry him was + an acknowledgment of defeat. I realized that. But I had come to the + extremity where I wanted peace—peace and protection. I wanted to put + myself irrevocably beyond the old life, which simply could not have gone + on, and I saw myself in the advancing years becoming tawdry and worn, + losing little by little what I had gained at a price. + </p> + <p> + “So I came here—to reflect, to see, as it were, if I could find + something left in me to take hold of, to build upon, to begin over again, + perhaps, by going back to the old associations. I could think of no better + place, and I knew that my father would, be going away after a few weeks, + and that I should be lone, yet with an atmosphere back of me,—my old + atmosphere. That was why I went to church the first Sunday, in order to + feel more definitely that atmosphere, to summon up more completely the + image of my mother. More and more, as the years have passed, I have + thought of her in moments of trouble. I have recovered her as I never had + hoped to do in Mr. Bentley. Isn't it strange,” she exclaimed wonderingly, + “that he should have come into both our lives, with such an influence, at + this time?” + </p> + <p> + “And then I met you, talked to you that afternoon in the garden. Shall I + make a complete confession? I wrote to Jennings Howe that very week that I + could not marry him.” + </p> + <p> + “You knew!” Hodder exclaimed: “You knew then?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, I can't tell what I knew—or when. I knew, after I had seen you, + that I couldn't marry him! Isn't that enough?” + </p> + <p> + He drew in his breath deeply. + </p> + <p> + “I should be less than a man if I refused to take you, Alison. And—no + matter what happens, I can and will find some honest work to support you. + But oh, my dear, when I think of it, the nobility and generosity of what + you have done appalls me.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no!” she protested, “you mustn't say that! I needed you more than you + need me. And haven't we both discovered the world, and renounced it? I can + at least go so far as to say that, with all my heart. And isn't marriage + truer and higher when man and wife start with difficulties and problems to + solve together? It is that thought that brings me the greatest joy, that I + may be able to help you.... Didn't you need me, just a little?” + </p> + <p> + “Now that I have you, I am unable to think of the emptiness which might + have been. You came to me, like Beatrice, when I had lost my way in the + darkness of the wood. And like Beatrice, you showed me the path, and hell + and heaven.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, you would have found the path without me. I cannot claim that. I saw + from the first that you were destined to find it. And, unlike Beatrice, I + too was lost, and it was you who lifted me up. You mustn't idealize + me.”... She stood up. “Come!” she said. He too stood, gazing at her, and + she lifted her hands to his shoulders.... They moved out from under the + tree and walked for a while in silence across the dew-drenched grass, + towards Park Street. The moon, which had ridden over a great space in the + sky, hung red above the blackness of the forest to the west. + </p> + <p> + “Do you remember when we were here together, the day I met Mr. Bentley? + And you never would have spoken!” + </p> + <p> + “How could I, Alison?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, you couldn't. And yet—you would have let me go!” + </p> + <p> + He put his arm in hers, and drew her towards him. + </p> + <p> + “I must talk to your father,” he said, “some day—soon. I ought to + tell him—of our intentions. We cannot go on like this.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” she agreed, “I realize it. And I cannot stay, much longer, in Park + Street. I must go back to New York, until you send for me, dear. And there + are things I must do. Do you know, even though I antagonize him so—my + father, I mean—even though he suspects and bitterly resents any + interest in you, my affection for you, and that I have lingered because of + you, I believe, in his way, he has liked to have me here.” + </p> + <p> + “I can understand it,” Hodder said. + </p> + <p> + “It's because you are bigger than I, although he has quarrelled with you + so bitterly. I don't know what definite wrongs he has done to other + persons. I don't wish to know. I don't ask you to tell me what passed + between you that night. Once you said that you had an affection for him—that + he was lonely. He is lonely. In these last weeks, in spite of his anger, I + can see that he suffers terribly. It is a tragedy, because he will never + give in.” + </p> + <p> + “It is a tragedy.” Hodder's tone was agitated. + </p> + <p> + “I wonder if he realizes a little” she began, and paused. “Now that + Preston has come home—” + </p> + <p> + “Your brother?” Hodder exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. I forgot to tell you. I don't know why he came,” she faltered. “I + suppose he has got into some new trouble. He seems changed. I can't + describe it now, but I will tell you about it.... It's the first time + we've all three been together since my mother died, for Preston wasn't + back from college when I went to Paris to study....” + </p> + <p> + They stood together on the pavement before the massive house, fraught with + so many and varied associations for Hodder. And as he looked up at it, his + eye involuntarily rested upon the windows of the boy's room where Eldon + Parr had made his confession. Alison startled him by pronouncing his name, + which came with such unaccustomed sweetness from her lips. “You will write + me to-morrow,” she said, “after you have seen the bishop?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, at once. You mustn't let it worry you.” + </p> + <p> + “I feel as if I had cast off that kind of worry forever. It is only—the + other worries from which we do not escape, from which we do not wish to + escape.” + </p> + <p> + With a wonderful smile she had dropped his hands and gone in at the + entrance, when a sound made them turn, the humming of a motor. And even as + they looked it swung into Park Street. + </p> + <p> + “It's a taxicab!” she said. As she spoke it drew up almost beside them, + instead of turning in at the driveway, the door opened, and a man + alighted. + </p> + <p> + “Preston!” Alison exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + He started, turning from the driver, whom he was about to pay. As for + Hodder, he was not only undergoing a certain shock through the sudden + contact, at such a moment, with Alison's brother: there was an additional + shock that this was Alison's brother and Eldon Parr's son. Not that his + appearance was shocking, although the well-clad, athletic figure was + growing a trifle heavy, and the light from the side lamps of the car + revealed dissipation in a still handsome face. The effect was a subtler + one, not to be analyzed, and due to a multitude of preconceptions. + </p> + <p> + Alison came forward. + </p> + <p> + “This is Mr. Hodder, Preston,” she said simply. + </p> + <p> + For a moment Preston continued to stare at the rector without speaking. + Suddenly he put out his hand. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder, of St. John's?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” answered Hodder. His surprise deepened to perplexity at the warmth + of the handclasp that followed. + </p> + <p> + A smile that brought back vividly to Hodder the sunny expression of the + schoolboy in the picture lightened the features of the man. + </p> + <p> + “I'm very glad to see you,” he said, in a tone that left no doubt of its + genuine quality. + </p> + <p> + “Thank you,” Hodder replied, meeting his eye with kindness, yet with a + scrutiny that sought to penetrate the secret of an unexpected cordiality. + “I, too, have hoped to see you.” + </p> + <p> + Alison, who stood by wondering, felt a meaning behind the rector's words. + She pressed his hand as he bade her, once more, good night. + </p> + <p> + “Won't you take my taxicab?” asked Preston. “It is going down town + anyway.” + </p> + <p> + “I think I'd better stick to the street cars,” Hodder said. His refusal + was not ungraceful, but firm. Preston did not insist. + </p> + <p> + In spite of the events of that evening, which he went over again and again + as the midnight car carried him eastward, in spite of a new-born happiness + the actuality of which was still difficult to grasp, Hodder was vaguely + troubled when he thought of Preston Parr. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0035" id="link2H_4_0035"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Volume 8. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVII. RETRIBUTION + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + The Bishop's House was a comfortable, double dwelling of a smooth, bright + red brick and large, plate-glass windows, situated in a plot at the + western end of Waverley Place. It had been bought by the Diocese in the + nineties, and was representative of that transitional period in American + architecture when the mansard roof had been repudiated, when as yet no + definite types had emerged to take its place. The house had pointed + gables, and a tiny and utterly useless porch that served only to darken + the front door, made of heavy pieces of wood fantastically curved. + </p> + <p> + It was precisely ten o'clock in the morning when Hodder rang the bell and + was shown into the ample study which he had entered on other and less + vital occasions. He found difficulty in realizing that this pleasant room, + lined with well-worn books and overlooking a back lawn where the clothes + of the episcopal family hung in the yellow autumn sun, was to be his + judgment seat, whence he might be committed to trial for heresy. + </p> + <p> + And this was the twentieth century! The full force of the preposterous + fact smote him, and a consciousness of the distance he himself had + travelled since the comparatively recent days of his own orthodoxy. And + suddenly he was full again of a resentful impatience, not only that he + should be called away from his labours, his cares, the strangers who were + craving his help, to answer charges of such an absurd triviality, but that + the performance of the great task to which he had set his hand, with God's + help, should depend upon it. Would his enemies be permitted to drive him + out thus easily? + </p> + <p> + The old bishop came in, walking by the aid of a cane. He smiled at Hodder, + who greeted him respectfully, and bidding him sit down, took a chair + himself behind his writing table, from whence he gazed awhile earnestly + and contemplatively at the rugged features and strong shoulders of the + rector of St. John's. The effect of the look was that of a visual effort + to harmonize the man with the deed he had done, the stir he had created in + the city and the diocese; to readjust impressions. + </p> + <p> + A hint of humour crept into the bishop's blue eyes, which were watery, yet + strong, with heavy creases in the corners. He indicated by a little + gesture three bundles of envelopes, bound by rubber bands, on the corner + of his blotter. + </p> + <p> + “Hodder,” he said, “see what a lot of trouble you have made for me in my + old age! All those are about you.” + </p> + <p> + The rector's expression could not have been deemed stern, but it had met + the bishop's look unflinchingly. Now it relaxed into a responding smile, + which was not without seriousness. + </p> + <p> + “I am sorry, sir,” Hodder answered, “to have caused you any worry—or + inconvenience.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps,” said the bishop, “I have had too much smooth sailing for a + servant of Christ. Indeed, I have come to that conclusion.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not reply. He was moved, even more by the bishop's manner and + voice than his words. And the opening to their conversation was + unexpected. The old man put on his spectacles, and drew from the top of + one of the bundles a letter. + </p> + <p> + “This is from one of your vestrymen, Mr. Gordon Atterbury,” he said, and + proceeded to read it, slowly. When he had finished he laid it down. + </p> + <p> + “Is that, according to your recollection, Mr. Hodder, a fairly accurate + summary of the sermon you gave when you resumed the pulpit at the end of + the summer?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” answered the rector, “it is surprisingly accurate, with the + exception of two or three inferences which I shall explain at the proper + moment.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Atterbury is to be congratulated on his memory,” the bishop observed + a little dryly. “And he has saved me the trouble of reading more. Now what + are the inferences to which you object?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder stated them. “The most serious one,” he added, “is that which he + draws from my attitude on the virgin birth. Mr. Atterbury insists, like + others who cling to that dogma, that I have become what he vaguely calls + an Unitarian. He seems incapable of grasping my meaning, that the only + true God the age knows, the world has ever known, is the God in Christ, is + the Spirit in Christ, and is there not by any material proof, but because + we recognize it spiritually. And that doctrine and dogma, ancient + speculations as to how, definitely, that spirit came to be in Christ, are + fruitless and mischievous to-day. Mr. Atterbury and others seem actually + to resent my identification of our Lord's Spirit with the social + conscience as well as the individual conscience of our time.” + </p> + <p> + The bishop nodded. + </p> + <p> + “Hodder,” he demanded abruptly, leaning forward over his desk, “how did + this thing happen?” + </p> + <p> + “You mean, sir—” + </p> + <p> + There was, in the bishop's voice, a note almost pathetic. “Oh, I do not + mean to ask you anything you may deem too personal. And God forbid, as I + look at you, as I have known you, that I should doubt your sincerity. I am + not your inquisitor, but your bishop and your friend, and I am asking for + your confidence. Six months ago you were, apparently, one of the most + orthodox rectors in the diocese. I recognize that you are not an + impulsive, sensational man, and I am all the more anxious to learn from + your own lips something of the influences, of the processes which have + changed you, which have been strong enough to impel you to risk the + position you have achieved.” + </p> + <p> + By this unlooked-for appeal Hodder was not only disarmed, but smitten with + self-reproach at the thought of his former misjudgment and underestimation + of the man in whose presence he sat. And it came over him, not only the + extent to which, formerly, he had regarded the bishop as too tolerant and + easygoing, but the fact that he had arrived here today prepared to find in + his superior anything but the attitude he was showing. Considering the + bishop's age, Hodder had been ready for a lack of understanding of the + step he had taken, even for querulous reproaches and rebuke. + </p> + <p> + He had, therefore, to pull himself together, to adjust himself to the + unexpected greatness of soul with which he was being received before he + began to sketch the misgivings he had felt from the early days of his + rectorship of St. John's; the helplessness and failure which by degrees + had come over him. He related how it had become apparent to him that by + far the greater part of his rich and fashionable congregation were + Christians only in name, who kept their religion in a small and impervious + compartment where it did not interfere with their lives. He pictured the + yearning and perplexity of those who had come to him for help, who could + not accept the old explanations, and had gone away empty; and he had not + been able to make Christians of the poor who attended the parish house. + Finally, trusting in the bishop's discretion, he spoke of the revelations + he had unearthed in Dalton Street, and how these had completely destroyed + his confidence in the Christianity he had preached, and how he had put his + old faith to the test of unprejudiced modern criticism, philosophy, and + science... + </p> + <p> + The bishop listened intently, his head bent, his eyes on he rector. + </p> + <p> + “And you have come out—convinced?” he asked tremulously. “Yes, yes, + I see you have. It is enough.” + </p> + <p> + He relapsed into thought, his wrinkled hand lying idly on the table. + </p> + <p> + “I need not tell you, my friend,” he resumed at length, “that a great deal + of pressure has been brought to bear upon me in this matter, more than I + have ever before experienced. You have mortally offended, among others, + the most powerful layman in the diocese, Mr. Parr, who complains that you + have presumed to take him to task concerning his private affairs.” + </p> + <p> + “I told him,” answered Holder, “that so long as he continued to live the + life he leads, I could not accept his contributions to St. John's.” + </p> + <p> + “I am an old man,” said the bishop, “and whatever usefulness I have had is + almost finished. But if I were young to-day, I should pray God for the + courage and insight you have shown, and I am thankful to have lived long + enough to have known you. It has, at least, been given one to realize that + times have changed, that we are on the verge of a mighty future. I will be + frank to say that ten years ago, if this had happened, I should have + recommended you for trial. Now I can only wish you Godspeed. I, too, can + see the light, my friend. I can see, I think, though dimly, the beginnings + of a blending of all sects, of all religions in the increasing vision of + the truth revealed in Jesus Christ, stripped, as you say, of dogma, of + fruitless attempts at rational explanation. In Japan and China, in India + and Persia, as well as in Christian countries, it is coming, coming by + some working of the Spirit the mystery of which is beyond us. And nations + and men who even yet know nothing of the Gospels are showing a willingness + to adopt what is Christ's, and the God of Christ.” + </p> + <p> + Holder was silent, from sheer inability to speak. + </p> + <p> + “If you had needed an advocate with me,” the bishop continued, “you could + not have had one to whose counsel I would more willingly have listened, + than that of Horace Bentley. He wrote asking to come and see me, but I + went to him in Dalton Street the day I returned. And it gives me + satisfaction, Mr. Holder, to confess to you freely that he has taught me, + by his life, more of true Christianity than I have learned in all my + experience elsewhere.” + </p> + <p> + “I had thought,” exclaimed the rector, wonderingly, “that I owed him more + than any other man.” + </p> + <p> + “There are many who think that—hundreds, I should say,” the bishop + replied.... “Eldon Parr ruined him, drove him from the church.... It is + strange how, outside of the church, his influence has silently and + continuously grown until it has borne fruit in—this. Even now,” he + added after a pause, “the cautiousness, the dread of change which comes + with old age might, I think, lead me to be afraid of it if I—didn't + perceive behind it the spirit of Horace Bentley.” + </p> + <p> + It struck Holder, suddenly, what an unconscious but real source of + confidence this thought had likewise been to him. He spoke of it. + </p> + <p> + “It is not that I wouldn't trust you,” the bishop went on. “I have watched + you, I have talked to Asa Waring, I have read the newspapers. In spite of + it all, you have kept your head, you have not compromised the dignity of + the Church. But oh, my friend, I beg you to bear in mind that you are + launched upon deep waters, that you have raised up many enemies—enemies + of Christ—who seek to destroy you. You are still young. And the + uncompromising experiment to which you are pledged, of freeing your + church, of placing her in the position of power and influence in the + community which is rightfully hers, is as yet untried. And no stone will + be left unturned to discourage and overcome you. You have faith,—you + have made me feel it as you sat here,—a faith which will save you + from bitterness in personal defeat. You may not reap the victory, or even + see it in your lifetime. But of this I am sure, that you will be able to + say, with Paul, 'I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the + increase.' Whatever happens, you may count upon my confidence and support. + I can only wish that I were younger, that my arm were stronger, and that I + had always perceived the truth as clearly as I see it now.” + </p> + <p> + Holder had risen involuntarily while these words were being spoken. They + were indeed a benediction, and the intensity of his feeling warned him of + the inadequacy of any reply. They were pronounced in sorrow, yet in hope, + and they brought home to him, sharply, the nobility of the bishop's own + sacrifice. + </p> + <p> + “And you, sir?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” answered the bishop, “with this I shall have had my life. I am + content....” + </p> + <p> + “You will come to me again, Hodder? some other day,” he said, after an + interval, “that we may talk over the new problems. They are constructive, + creative, and I am anxious to hear how you propose to meet them. For one + thing, to find a new basis for the support of such a parish. I understand + they have deprived you of your salary.” + </p> + <p> + “I have enough to live on, for a year or so,” replied the rector, quickly. + “Perhaps more.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid,” said the bishop, with a smile in his old eyes, “that you + will need it, my friend. But who can say? You have strength, you have + confidence, and God is with you.” + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + Life, as Hodder now grasped it, was a rapidly whirling wheel which gave + him no chance to catch up with the impressions and experiences through + which it was dragging him. Here, for instance, were two far-reaching and + momentous events, one crowding upon the other, and not an hour for + reflection, realization, or adjustment! He had, indeed, after his return + from the bishop's, snatched a few minutes to write Alison the unexpected + result of that interview. But even as he wrote and rang for a messenger to + carry the note to Park Street, he was conscious of an effort to seize upon + and hold the fact that the woman he had so intensely desired was now his + helpmate; and had, of her own freewill, united herself with him. A strong + sense of the dignity of their relationship alone prevented his calling her + on the telephone—as it doubtless had prevented her. While she + remained in her father's house, he could not... + </p> + <p> + In the little room next to the office several persons were waiting to see + him. But as he went downstairs he halted on the landing, his hand going to + his forehead, a reflex movement significant of a final attempt to achieve + the hitherto unattainable feat of imagining her as his wife. If he might + only speak to her again—now, this morning! And yet he knew that he + needed no confirmation. The reality was there, in the background; and + though refusing to come forward to be touched, it had already grafted + itself as an actual and vital part of his being, never to be eliminated. + </p> + <p> + Characteristically perfecting his own ideal, she had come to him in the + hour when his horizon had been most obscure. And he experienced now an + exultation, though solemn and sacred, that her faith had so far been + rewarded in the tidings he now confided to the messenger. He was not, as + yet, to be driven out from the task, to be deprived of the talent, the + opportunity intrusted to him by Lord—the emancipation of the parish + of St. John's. + </p> + <p> + The first to greet him, when he entered his office, was one who, unknown + to himself, had been fighting the battle of the God in Christ, and who + now, thanks to John Hodder, had identified the Spirit as the transforming + force. Bedloe Hubbell had come to offer his services to the Church. The + tender was unqualified. + </p> + <p> + “I should even be willing, Mr. Hodder,” he said with a smile, “to venture + occasionally into a pulpit. You have not only changed my conception of + religion, but you have made it for me something which I can now speak + about naturally.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder was struck by the suggestion. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, we shall need the laymen in the pulpits, Mr. Hubbell,” he said + quickly. “A great spiritual movement must be primarily a lay movement. And + I promise you you shall not lack for opportunity.” + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + At nine o'clock that evening, when a reprieve came, Hodder went out. + Anxiety on the score of Kate Marcy, as well as a desire to see Mr. Bentley + and tell him of the conversation with the bishop, directed his steps + toward Dalton Street. And Hodder had, indeed, an intention of confiding to + his friend, as one eminently entitled to it, the news of his engagement to + Alison Parr. + </p> + <p> + Nothing, however, had been heard of Kate. She was not in Dalton Street, + Mr. Bentley feared. The search of Gratz, the cabinet-maker, had been + fruitless. And Sally Grover had even gone to see the woman in the + hospital, whom Kate had befriended, in the hope of getting a possible + clew. They sat close together before the fire in Mr. Bentley's comfortable + library, debating upon the possibility of other methods of procedure, when + a carriage was heard rattling over the pitted asphalt without. As it + pulled up at the curb, a silence fell between them. The door-bell rang. + </p> + <p> + Holder found himself sitting erect, rigidly attentive, listening to the + muffled sound of a woman's voice in the entry. A few moments later came a + knock at the library door, and Sam entered. The old darky was plainly + frightened. + </p> + <p> + “It's Miss Kate, Marse Ho'ace, who you bin tryin' to fin',” he stammered. + </p> + <p> + Holder sprang to his feet and made his way rapidly around the table, where + he stood confronting the woman in the doorway. There she was, perceptibly + swaying, as though the floor under her were rocked by an earthquake. Her + handsome face was white as chalk, her pupils widened in terror. It was + curious, at such an instant, that he should have taken in her costume,—yet + it was part of the mystery. She wore a new, close-fitting, patently + expensive suit of dark blue cloth and a small hat, which were literally + transforming in their effect, demanding a palpable initial effort of + identification. + </p> + <p> + He seized her by the arm. + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, my God!” she cried. “He—he's out there—in the carriage.” + </p> + <p> + She leaned heavily against the doorpost, shivering.... Holder saw Sally + Grover coming down the stairs. + </p> + <p> + “Take her,” he said, and went out of the front door, which Sam had left + open. Mr. Bentley was behind him. + </p> + <p> + The driver had descended from the box and was peering into the darkness of + the vehicle when he heard them, and turned. At sight of the tall + clergyman, an expression of relief came into his face. + </p> + <p> + “I don't like the looks of this, sir,” he said. “I thought he was pretty + bad when I went to fetch him—” + </p> + <p> + Holder pushed past him and looked into the carriage. Leaning back, + motionless, in the corner of the seat was the figure of a man. For a + terrible moment of premonition, of enlightenment, the rector gazed at it. + </p> + <p> + “They sent for me from a family hotel in Ayers Street,” the driver was + explaining. Mr. Bentley's voice interrupted him. + </p> + <p> + “He must be brought in, at once. Do you know where Dr. Latimer's office + is, on Tower Street?” he asked the man. “Go there, and bring this doctor + back with you as quickly as possible. If he is not in, get another, + physician.” + </p> + <p> + Between them, the driver and Holder got the burden out of the carriage and + up the steps. The light from the hallway confirmed the rector's fear. + </p> + <p> + “It's Preston Parr,” he said. + </p> + <p> + The next moment was too dreadful for surprise, but never had the sense of + tragedy so pierced the innermost depths of Holder's being as now, when + Horace Bentley's calmness seemed to have forsaken him; and as he gazed + down upon the features on the pillow, he wept.... Holder turned away. + Whatever memories those features evoked, memories of a past that still + throbbed with life these were too sacred for intrusion. The years of + exile, of uncomplaining service to others in this sordid street and over + the wide city had not yet sufficed to allay the pain, to heal the wound of + youth. Nay, loyalty had kept it fresh—a loyalty that was the + handmaid of faith... + </p> + <p> + The rector softly left the room, only to be confronted with another + harrowing scene in the library, where a frantic woman was struggling in + Sally Grover's grasp. He went to her assistance... Words of comfort, of + entreaty were of no avail,—Kate Marcy did not seem to hear them. + Hers, in contrast to that other, was the unmeaning grief, the overwhelming + sense of injustice of the child; and with her regained physical strength + the two had all they could do to restrain her. + </p> + <p> + “I will go to him,” she sobbed, between her paroxysms, “you've got no + right to keep me—he's mine... he came back to me—he's all I + ever had....” + </p> + <p> + So intent were they that they did not notice Mr. Bentley standing beside + them until they heard his voice. + </p> + <p> + “What she says is true,” he told them. “Her place is in there. Let her + go.” + </p> + <p> + Kate Marcy raised her head at the words, and looked at him a strange, + half-comprehending, half-credulous gaze. They released her, helped her + towards the bedroom, and closed the door gently behind her... The three + sat in silence until the carriage was heard returning, and the doctor + entered. + </p> + <p> + The examination was brief, and two words, laconically spoken, sufficed for + an explanation—apoplexy, alcohol. The prostrate, quivering woman was + left where they had found her. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Latimer was a friend of Mr. Bentley's, and betrayed no surprise at a + situation which otherwise might have astonished him. It was only when he + learned the dead man's name, and his parentage, that he looked up quickly + from his note book. + </p> + <p> + “The matter can be arranged without a scandal,” he said, after an instant. + “Can you tell me something of the circumstances?” + </p> + <p> + It was Hodder who answered. + </p> + <p> + “Preston Parr had been in love with this woman, and separated from her. + She was under Mr. Bentley's care when he found her again, I infer, by + accident. From what the driver says, they were together in a hotel in + Ayers Street, and he died after he had been put in a carriage. In her + terror, she was bringing him to Mr. Bentley.” + </p> + <p> + The doctor nodded. + </p> + <p> + “Poor woman!” he said unexpectedly. “Will you be good enough to let Mr. + Parr know that I will see him at his house, to-night?” he added, as he + took his departure. + </p> + <p> + IV + </p> + <p> + Sally Grower went out with the physician, and it was Mr. Bentley who + answered the question in the rector's mind, which he hesitated to ask. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Parr must come here,” he said. + </p> + <p> + As the rector turned, mechanically, to pick up his hat, Mr. Bentley added, + </p> + <p> + “You will come back, Hodder?” + </p> + <p> + “Since you wish it, sir,” the rector said. + </p> + <p> + Once in the street, he faced a predicament, but swiftly decided that the + telephone was impossible under the circumstances, that there could be no + decent procedure without going himself to Park Street. It was only a + little after ten. The electric car which he caught seemed to lag, the + stops were interminable. His thoughts flew hither and thither. Should he + try first to see Alison? He was nearest to her now of all the world, and + he could not suffer the thought of her having the news otherwise. Yes, he + must tell her, since she knew nothing of the existence of Kate Marcy. + </p> + <p> + Having settled that,—though the thought of the blow she was to + receive lay like a weight on his heart,—Mr. Bentley's reason for + summoning Eldon Parr to Dalton Street came to him. That the feelings of + Mr. Bentley towards the financier were those of Christian forgiveness was + not for a moment to be doubted: but a meeting, particularly under such + circumstances, could not but be painful indeed. It must be, it was, Hodder + saw, for Kate Marcy's sake; yes, and for Eldon Parr's as well, that he be + given this opportunity to deal with the woman whom he had driven away from + his son, and ruined. + </p> + <p> + The moon, which had shed splendours over the world the night before, was + obscured by a low-drifting mist as Hodder turned in between the ornamental + lamps that marked the gateway of the Park Street mansion, and by some + undiscerned thought—suggestion he pictured the heart-broken woman he + had left beside the body of one who had been heir to all this + magnificence. Useless now, stone and iron and glass, pictures and + statuary. All the labour, all the care and cunning, all the stealthy + planning to get ahead of others had been in vain! What indeed were left to + Eldon Parr! It was he who needed pity,—not the woman who had sinned + and had been absolved because of her great love; not the wayward, + vice-driven boy who lay dead. The very horror of what Eldon Parr was now + to suffer turned Hodder cold as he rang the bell and listened for the soft + tread of the servant who would answer his summons. + </p> + <p> + The man who flung open the door knew him, and did not conceal his + astonishment. + </p> + <p> + “Will you take my card to Miss Parr,” the rector said, “if she has not + retired, and tell her I have a message?” + </p> + <p> + “Miss Parr is still in the library, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Alone?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir.” The man preceded him, but before his name had been announced + Alison was standing, her book in her hand, gazing at him with startled + eyes, his name rising, a low cry, to her lips. + </p> + <p> + “John!” + </p> + <p> + He took the book from her, gently, and held her hands. + </p> + <p> + “Something has happened!” she said. “Tell me—I can bear it.” + </p> + <p> + He saw instantly that her dread was for him, and it made his task the + harder. + </p> + <p> + “It's your brother, Alison.” + </p> + <p> + “Preston! What is it? He's done something——” + </p> + <p> + Hodder shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “He died—to-night. He is at Mr. Bentley's.” + </p> + <p> + It was like her that she did not cry out, or even speak, but stood still, + her hands tightening on his, her breast heaving. She was not, he knew, a + woman who wept easily, and her eyes were dry. And he had it to be thankful + for that it was given him to be with her, in this sacred relationship, at + such a moment. But even now, such was the mystery that ever veiled her + soul, he could not read her feelings, nor know what these might be towards + the brother whose death he announced. + </p> + <p> + “I want to tell you, first, Alison, to prepare you,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Her silence was eloquent. She looked up at him bravely, trustfully, in a + way that made him wince. Whatever the exact nature of her suffering, it + was too deep for speech. And yet she helped him, made it easier for him by + reason of her very trust, once given not to be withdrawn. It gave him a + paradoxical understanding of her which was beyond definition. + </p> + <p> + “You must know—you would have sometime to know that there was a + woman he loved, whom he intended to marry—but she was separated from + him. She was not what is called a bad woman, she was a working girl. I + found her, this summer, and she told me the story, and she has been under + the care of Mr. Bentley. She disappeared two or three days ago. Your + brother met her again, and he was stricken with apoplexy while with her + this evening. She brought him to Mr. Bentley's house.” + </p> + <p> + “My father—bought her and sent her away.” + </p> + <p> + “You knew?” + </p> + <p> + “I heard a little about it at the time, by accident. I have always + remembered it.... I have always felt that something like this would + happen.” + </p> + <p> + Her sense of fatality, another impression she gave of living in the + deeper, instinctive currents of life, had never been stronger upon him + than now.... She released his hands. + </p> + <p> + “How strange,” she said, “that the end should have come at Mr. Bentley's! + He loved my mother—she was the only woman he ever loved.” + </p> + <p> + It came to Hodder as the completing touch of the revelation he had half + glimpsed by the bedside. + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” he could not help exclaiming, “that explains much.” + </p> + <p> + She had looked at him again, through sudden tears, as though divining his + reference to Mr. Bentley's grief, when a step make them turn. Eldon Parr + had entered the room. Never, not even in that last interview, had his + hardness seemed so concretely apparent as now. Again, pity seemed never + more out of place, yet pity was Hodder's dominant feeling as he met the + coldness, the relentlessness of the glance. The thing that struck him, + that momentarily kept closed his lips, was the awful, unconscious + timeliness of the man's entrance, and his unpreparedness to meet the blow + that was to crush him. + </p> + <p> + “May I ask, Mr. Hodder,” he said, in an unemotional voice, “what you are + doing in this house?” + </p> + <p> + Still Hodder hesitated, an unwilling executioner. + </p> + <p> + “Father,” said Alison, “Mr. Hodder has come with a message.” + </p> + <p> + Never, perhaps, had Eldon Parr given such complete proof of his lack of + spiritual intuition. The atmosphere, charged with presage for him, gave + him nothing. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder takes a strange way of delivering it,” was his comment. + </p> + <p> + Mercy took precedence over her natural directness. She laid her hand + gently on his arm. And she had, at that instant, no thought of the long + years he had neglected her for her brother. + </p> + <p> + “It's about—Preston,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Preston!” The name came sharply from Eldon Parr's lips. “What about him? + Speak, can't you?” + </p> + <p> + “He died this evening,” said Alison, simply. + </p> + <p> + Hodder plainly heard the ticking of the clock on the mantel.... And the + drama that occurred was the more horrible because it was hidden; played, + as it were, behind closed doors. For the spectators, there was only the + black wall, and the silence. Eldon Parr literally did nothing,—made + no gesture, uttered no cry. The death, they knew, was taking place in his + soul, yet the man stood before them, naturally, for what seemed an + interminable time.... + </p> + <p> + “Where is he?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “At Mr. Bentley's, in Dalton Street.” It was Alison who replied again. + </p> + <p> + Even then he gave no sign that he read retribution in the coincidence, + betrayed no agitation at the mention of a name which, in such a + connection, might well have struck the terror of judgment into his heart. + They watched him while, with a firm step, he crossed the room and pressed + a button in the wall, and waited. + </p> + <p> + “I want the closed automobile, at once,” he said, when the servant came. + </p> + <p> + “I beg pardon; sir, but I think Gratton has gone to bed. He had no + orders.” + </p> + <p> + “Then wake him,” said Eldon Parr, “instantly. And send for my secretary.” + </p> + <p> + With a glance which he perceived Alison comprehended, Hodder made his way + out of the room. He had from Eldon Parr, as he passed him, neither + question, acknowledgment, nor recognition. Whatever the banker might have + felt, or whether his body had now become a mere machine mechanically + carrying on a life-long habit of action, the impression was one of the + tremendousness of the man's consistency. A great effort was demanded to + summon up the now almost unimaginable experience of his confidence; of the + evening when, almost on that very spot, he had revealed to Hodder the one + weakness of his life. And yet the effort was not to be, presently, without + startling results. In the darkness of the street the picture suddenly grew + distinct on the screen of the rector's mind, the face of the banker subtly + drawn with pain as he had looked down on it in compassion; the voice with + its undercurrent of agony: + </p> + <p> + “He never knew how much I cared—that what I was doing was all for + him, building for him, that he might carry on my work.” + </p> + <p> + V + </p> + <p> + So swift was the trolley that ten minutes had elapsed, after Hodder's + arrival, before the purr of an engine and the shriek of a brake broke the + stillness of upper Dalton Street and announced the stopping of a heavy + motor before the door. The rector had found Mr. Bentley in the library, + alone, seated with bent head in front of the fire, and had simply + announced the intention of Eldon Parr to come. From the chair Hodder had + unobtrusively chosen, near the window, his eyes rested on the noble + profile of his friend. What his thoughts were, Hodder could not surmise; + for he seemed again, marvellously, to have regained the outward peace + which was the symbol of banishment from the inner man of all thought of + self. + </p> + <p> + “I have prepared her for Mr. Parr's coming,” he said to Hodder at length. + </p> + <p> + And yet he had left her there! Hodder recalled the words Mr. Bentley had + spoken, “It is her place.” Her place, the fallen woman's, the place she + had earned by a great love and a great renunciation, of which no earthly + power might henceforth deprive her.... + </p> + <p> + Then came the motor, the ring at the door, the entrance of Eldon Parr into + the library. He paused, a perceptible moment, on the threshold as his look + fell upon the man whom he had deprived of home and fortune,—yes and + of the one woman in the world for them both. Mr. Bentley had risen, and + stood facing him. That shining, compassionate gaze should have been indeed + a difficult one to meet. Vengeance was the Lord's, in truth! What ordeal + that Horace Bentley in anger and retribution might have devised could have + equalled this! + </p> + <p> + And yet Eldon Parr did meet it—with an effort. Hodder, from his + corner, detected the effort, though it were barely discernible, and would + have passed a scrutiny less rigid,—the first outward and visible + sign of the lesion within. For a brief instant the banker's eyes + encountered Mr. Bentley's look with a flash of the old defiance, and fell, + and then swept the room. + </p> + <p> + “Will you come this way, Mr. Parr?” Mr. Bentley said, indicating the door + of the bedroom. + </p> + <p> + Alison followed. Her eyes, wet with unheeded tears, had never left Mr. + Bentley's face. She put out her hand to him.... + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr had halted abruptly. He knew from Alison the circumstances in + which his son had died, and how he had been brought hither to this house, + but the sight of the woman beside the bed fanned into flame his fury + against a world which had cheated him, by such ignominious means, of his + dearest wish. He grew white with sudden passion. + </p> + <p> + “What is she doing here?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + Kate Marcy, who had not seemed to hear his entrance, raised up to him a + face from which all fear had fled, a face which, by its suggestive power, + compelled him to realize the absolute despair clutching now at his own + soul, and against which he was fighting wildly, hopelessly. It was lying + in wait for him, With hideous patience, in the coming watches of the + night. Perhaps he read in the face of this woman whom he had condemned to + suffer all degradation, and over whom he was now powerless, something + which would ultimately save her from the hell now yawning for him; a + redeeming element in her grief of which she herself were not as yet + conscious, a light shining in the darkness of her soul which in eternity + would become luminous. And he saw no light for him—He thrashed in + darkness. He had nothing, now, to give, no power longer to deprive. She + had given all she possessed, the memorial of her kind which would outlast + monuments. + </p> + <p> + It was Alison who crossed the room swiftly. She laid her hand protectingly + on Kate Marcy's shoulder, and stooped, and kissed her. She turned to her + father. + </p> + <p> + “It is her right,” she said. “He belonged to her, not to us. And we must + take her home with us. + </p> + <p> + “No,” answered Kate Marcy' “I don't want to go. I wouldn't live,” she + added with unexpected intensity, “with him.” + </p> + <p> + “You would live with me,” said Alison. + </p> + <p> + “I don't want to live!” Kate Marcy got up from the chair with an energy + they had not thought her to possess, a revival of the spirit which had + upheld her when she had contended, singly, with a remorseless world. She + addressed herself to Eldon Parr. “You took him from me, and I was a fool + to let you. He might have saved me and saved himself. I listened to you + when you told me lies as to how it would ruin him.... Well,—I had + him you never did.” + </p> + <p> + The sudden, intolerable sense of wrong done to her love, the swift anger + which followed it, the justness of her claim of him who now lay in the + dignity of death clothed her—who in life had been crushed and + blotted out—with a dignity not to be gainsaid. In this moment of + final self-assertion she became the dominating person in the room, knew + for once the birthright of human worth. They watched her in silence as she + turned and gave one last, lingering look at the features of the dead; + stretched out her hand towards them, but did not touch them... and then + went slowly towards the door. Beside Alison she stopped. + </p> + <p> + “You are his sister?” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + She searched Alison's face, wistfully. + </p> + <p> + “I could have loved you.” + </p> + <p> + “And can you not—still?” + </p> + <p> + Kate Mercy did not answer the question. + </p> + <p> + “It is because you understand,” she said. “You're like those I've come to + know—here. And you're like him.... I don't mean in looks. He, too, + was good—and square.” She spoke the words a little defiantly, as + though challenging the verdict of the world. “And he wouldn't have been + wild if he could have got going straight.” + </p> + <p> + “I know,” said Alison, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Kate Mercy, “you look as if you did. He thought a lot of you, + he said he was only beginning to find out what you was. I'd like you to + think as well of me as you can.” + </p> + <p> + “I could not think better,” Alison replied. + </p> + <p> + Kate Mercy shook her head. + </p> + <p> + “I got about as low as any woman ever got,” she said + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hodder will tell you. I want you to know that I wouldn't marry—your + brother,” she hesitated over the name. “He wanted me to—he was mad + with me to night, because I wouldn't—when this happened.” + </p> + <p> + She snatched her hand free from Alison's, and fled out of the room, into + the hallway. + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr had moved towards the bed, seemingly unaware of the words they + had spoken. Perhaps, as he gazed upon the face, he remembered in his agony + the sunny, smiling child who need to come hurrying down the steps in + Ransome Street to meet him. + </p> + <p> + In the library Mr. Bentley and John Hodder, knowing nothing of her flight, + heard the front door close on Kate Marcy forever.... + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVIII. LIGHT + </h2> + <p> + I + </p> + <p> + Two days after the funeral, which had taken place from Calvary, and not + from St. John's, Hodder was no little astonished to receive a note from + Eldon Parr's secretary requesting the rector to call in Park Street. In + the same mail was a letter from Alison. “I have had,” she wrote, “a talk + with my father. The initiative was his. I should not have thought of + speaking to him of my affairs so soon after Preston's death. It seems that + he strongly suspected our engagement, which of course I at once + acknowledged, telling him that it was your intention, at the proper time, + to speak to him yourself. + </p> + <p> + “I was surprised when he said he would ask you to call. I confess that I + have not an idea of what he intends to say to you, John, but I trust you + absolutely, as always. You will find him, already, terribly changed. I + cannot describe it—you will see for yourself. And it has all seemed + to happen so suddenly. As I wrote you, he sat up both nights, with Preston—he + could not be induced to leave the room. And after the first night he was + different. He has hardly spoken a word, except when he sent for me this + evening, and he eats nothing.... And yet, somehow, I do not think that + this will be the end. I feel that he will go on living..... + </p> + <p> + “I did not realize how much he still hoped about Preston. And on Monday, + when Preston so unexpectedly came home, he was happier than I have known + him for years. It was strange and sad that he could not see, as I saw, + that whatever will power my brother had had was gone. He could not read it + in the face of his own son, who was so quick to detect it in all others! + And then came the tragedy. Oh, John, do you think we shall ever find that + girl again?—I know you are trying but we mustn't rest until we do. + Do you think we ever shall? I shall never forgive myself for not following + her out of the door, but, I thought she had gone to you and Mr. Bentley.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder laid the letter down, and took it up again. He knew that Alison + felt, as he felt, that they never would find Kate Marcy.... He read on. + </p> + <p> + “My father wished to speak to me about the money. He has plans for much of + it, it appears, even now. Oh. John, he will never understand. I want so + much to see you, to talk to you—there are times when I am actually + afraid to be alone, and without you. If it be weakness to confess that I + need your reassurance, your strength and comfort constantly, then I am + weak. I once thought I could stand alone, that I had solved all problems + for myself, but I know now how foolish I was. I have been face to face + with such dreadful, unimagined things, and in my ignorance I did not + conceive that life held such terrors. And when I look at my father, the + thought of immortality turns me faint. After you have come here this + afternoon there can be no longer any reason why we should not meet, and + all the world know it. I will go with you to Mr. Bentley's. + </p> + <p> + “Of course I need not tell you that I refused to inherit anything. But I + believe I should have consented if I possibly could have done so. It + seemed so cruel—I can think of no other word—to have, to + refuse at such a moment. Perhaps I have been cruel to him all my life—I + don't know. As I look back upon everything, all our relations, I cannot + see how I could have been different. He wouldn't let me. I still believe + to have stayed with him would have been a foolish and useless sacrifice... + But he looked at me so queerly, as though he, too, had had a glimmering of + what we might have been to each other after my mother died. Why is life so + hard? And why are we always getting glimpses of things when it is too + late? It is only honest to say that if I had it to do all over again, I + should have left him as I did. + </p> + <p> + “It is hard to write you this, but he actually made the condition of my + acceptance of the inheritance that I should not marry you. I really do not + believe I convinced him that you wouldn't have me take the money under any + circumstances. And the dreadful side of it all was that I had to make it + plain to him—after what has happened that my desire to marry you + wasn't the main reason of my refusal. I had to tell him that even though + you had not been in question, I couldn't have taken what he wished to give + me, since it had not been honestly made. He asked me why I went on eating + the food bought with such money, living under his roof? But I cannot, I + will not leave him just yet.... It is two o'clock. I cannot write any more + to-night.” + </p> + <p> + II + </p> + <p> + The appointed time was at the November dusk, hurried forward nearly an + hour by the falling panoply of smoke driven westward over the Park by the + wet east wind. And the rector was conducted, with due ceremony, to the + office upstairs which he had never again expected to enter, where that + other memorable interview had taken place. The curtains were drawn. And if + the green-shaded lamp—the only light in the room—had been + arranged by a master of dramatic effect, it could not have better served + the setting. + </p> + <p> + In spite of Alison's letter, Holder was unprepared for the ravages a few + days had made in the face of Eldon Parr. Not that he appeared older: the + impression was less natural, more sinister. The skin had drawn sharply + over the cheek-bones, and strangely the eyes both contradicted and + harmonized with the transformation of the features. These, too, had + changed. They were not dead and lustreless, but gleamed out of the shadowy + caverns into which they had sunk, unyielding, indomitable in torment,—eyes + of a spirit rebellious in the fumes.... + </p> + <p> + This spirit somehow produced the sensation of its being separated from the + body, for the movement of the hand, inviting Holder to seat himself, + seemed almost automatic. + </p> + <p> + “I understand,” said Eldon Parr, “that you wish to marry my daughter.” + </p> + <p> + “It is true that I am to marry Alison,” Holder answered, “and that I + intended, later on, to come to inform you of the fact.” + </p> + <p> + He did not mention the death of Preston. Condolences, under the + circumstances, were utterly out of the question. + </p> + <p> + “How do you propose to support her?” the banker demanded. + </p> + <p> + “She is of age, and independent of you. You will pardon me if I reply that + this is a matter between ourselves,” Holder said. + </p> + <p> + “I had made up my mind that the day she married you I would not only + disinherit her, but refuse absolutely, to have anything to do with her.” + </p> + <p> + “If you cannot perceive what she perceives, that you have already by your + own life cut her off from you absolutely and that seeing her will not mend + matters while you remain relentless, nothing I can say will convince you.” + Holder did not speak rebukingly. The utter uselessness of it was never + more apparent. The man was condemned beyond all present reprieve, at + least. + </p> + <p> + “She left me,” exclaimed Eldon Parr, bitterly. + </p> + <p> + “She left you, to save herself.” + </p> + <p> + “We need not discuss that.” + </p> + <p> + “I am far from wishing to discuss it,” Holder replied. + </p> + <p> + “I do not know why you have asked me to come here, Mr. Parr. It is clear + that your attitude has not changed since our last conversation. I tried to + make it plain to you why the church could not accept your money. Your own + daughter, cannot accept it.” + </p> + <p> + “There was a time,” retorted the banker, “when you did not refuse to + accept it.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” Holder replied, “that is true.” It came to him vividly then that it + had been Alison herself who had cast the enlightening gleam which revealed + his inconsistency. But he did not defend himself. + </p> + <p> + “I can see nothing in all this, Mr. Hodder, but a species of insanity,” + said Eldon Parr, and there crept into his tone both querulousness and + intense exasperation. “In the first place, you insist upon marrying my + daughter when neither she nor you have any dependable means of support. + She never spared her criticisms of me, and you presume to condemn me, a + man who, if he has neglected his children, has done so because he has + spent too much of his time in serving his community and his country, and + who has—if I have to say it myself—built up the prosperity + which you and others are doing your best to tear down, and which can only + result in the spread of misery. You profess to have a sympathy with the + masses, but you do not know them as I do. They cannot control themselves, + they require a strong hand. But I am not asking for your sympathy. I have + been misunderstood all my life, I have become used to ingratitude, even + from my children, and from the rector of the church for which I have done + more than any other man.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder stared at him in amazement. + </p> + <p> + “You really believe that!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Believe it!” Eldon Parr repeated. “I have had my troubles, as heavy + bereavements as a man can have. All of them, even this of my son's death, + all the ingratitude and lack of sympathy I have experienced—” (he + looked deliberately at Hodder) “have not prevented me, do not prevent me + to-day from regarding my fortune as a trust. You have deprived St. John's, + at least so long as you remain there, of some of its benefits, and the + responsibility for that is on your own head. And I am now making + arrangements to give to Calvary the settlement house which St. John's + should have had.” + </p> + <p> + The words were spoken with such an air of conviction, of unconscious + plausibility, as it were, that it was impossible for Hodder to doubt the + genuineness of the attitude they expressed. And yet it was more than his + mind could grasp.... Horace Bentley, Richard Garvin, and the miserable + woman of the streets whom he had driven to destroy herself had made + absolutely no impression whatever! The gifts, the benefactions of Eldon + Parr to his fellow-men would go on as before! + </p> + <p> + “You ask me why I sent for you,” the banker went on. “It was primarily + because I hoped to impress upon you the folly of marrying my daughter. And + in spite of all the injury and injustice you have done me, I do not forget + that you were once in a relationship to me which has been unique in my + life. I trusted you, I admired you, for your ability, for your faculty of + getting on with men. At that time you were wise enough not to attempt to + pass comment upon accidents in business affairs which are, if deplorable, + inevitable.” + </p> + <p> + Eldon Parr's voice gave a momentary sign of breaking. + </p> + <p> + “I will be frank with you. My son's death has led me, perhaps weakly, to + make one more appeal. You have ruined your career by these chimerical, + socialistic notions you have taken up, and which you mistake for + Christianity. As a practical man I can tell you, positively, that St. + John's will run downhill until you are bankrupt. The people who come to + you now are in search of a new sensation, and when that grows stale they + will fall away. Even if a respectable number remain in your congregation, + after this excitement and publicity have died down, I have reason to know + that it is impossible to support a large city church on contributions. It + has been tried again and again, and failed. You have borrowed money for + the Church's present needs. When that is gone I predict that you will find + it difficult to get more.” + </p> + <p> + This had every indication of being a threat, but Hodder, out of sheer + curiosity, did not interrupt. And it was evident that the banker drew a + wrong conclusion from his silence, which he may actually have taken for + reluctant acquiescence. His tone grew more assertive. + </p> + <p> + “The Church, Mr. Hodder, cannot do without the substantial business men. I + have told the bishop so, but he is failing so rapidly from old age that I + might as well not have wasted my breath. He needs an assistant, a + suffragan or coadjutor, and I intend to make it my affair to see that he + gets one. When I remember him as he was ten years ago, I find it hard to + believe that he is touched with these fancies. To be charitable, it is + senile decay. He seems to forget what I have done for him, personally, + made up his salary, paid his expenses at different times, and no appeal + for the diocese to me was ever in vain. But again, I will let that go. + </p> + <p> + “What I am getting at is this. You have made a mess of the affairs of St. + John's, you have made a mess of your life. I am willing to give you the + credit for sincerity. Some of my friends might not be. You want to marry + my daughter, and she is apparently determined to marry you. If you are + sensible and resign from St. John's now I will settle on Alison a + sufficient sum to allow you both to live in comfort and decency the rest + of your lives. I will not have it said of me that I permitted my daughter + to become destitute.” + </p> + <p> + After he had finished, the rector sat for so long a time that the banker + nervously shifted in his chair. The clergyman's look had a cumulative + quality, an intensity which seemed to increase as the silence continued. + There was no anger in it, no fanaticism. On the contrary, the higher + sanity of it was disturbing; and its extraordinary implication—gradually + borne in upon Eldon Parr—was that he himself were not in his right + mind. The words, when they came, were a confirmation of this inference. + </p> + <p> + “It is what I feared, Mr. Parr,” he said. “You are as yet incapable of + comprehending.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean?” asked the banker, jerking his hand from the table. + </p> + <p> + The rector shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “If this great chastisement with which you have been visited has given you + no hint of the true meaning of life, nothing I can say will avail. If you + will not yet listen to the Spirit which is trying to make you comprehend, + how then will you listen to me? How am I to open your eyes to the paradox + of truth, that he who would save his life shall lose it, that it is easier + for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to + enter into the Kingdom of God? If you will not believe him who said that, + you will not believe me. I can only beg of you, strive to understand, that + your heart many be softened, that your suffering soul may be released.” + </p> + <p> + It is to be recorded, strangely, that Eldon Parr did not grow angry in his + turn. The burning eyes looked out at Hodder curiously, as at a being upon + whom the vials of wrath were somehow wasted, against whom the weapons of + power were of no account. The fanatic had become a phenomenon which had + momentarily stilled passion to arouse interest... “Art thou a master of + Israel, and knowest not these things?” + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean to say”—such was the question that sprang to Eldon + Parr's lips—“that you take the Bible literally? What is your point + of view? You speak about the salvation of souls, I have heard that kind of + talk all my life. And it is easy, I find, for men who have never known the + responsibilities of wealth to criticize and advise. I regard + indiscriminate giving as nothing less than a crime, and I have always + tried to be painstaking and judicious. If I had taken the words you quoted + at their face value, I should have no wealth to distribute to-day. + </p> + <p> + “I, too, Mr. Hodder, odd as it may seem to you, have had my dreams—of + doing my share of making this country the best place in the world to live + in. It has pleased providence to take away my son. He was not fitted to + carry on my work,—that is the way—with dreams. I was to have + taught him to build up, and to give, as I have given. You think me + embittered, hard, because I seek to do good, to interpret the Gospel in my + own way. Before this year is out I shall have retired from all active + business. + </p> + <p> + “I intend to spend the rest of my life in giving away the money I have + earned—all of it. I do not intend to spare myself, and giving will + be harder than earning. I shall found institutions for research of + disease, hospitals, playgrounds, libraries, and schools. And I shall make + the university here one of the best in the country. What more, may I ask, + would you have me do?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” replied the rector, “it is not what I would have you do. It is not, + indeed, a question of 'doing,' but of seeing.” + </p> + <p> + “Of seeing?” the banker repeated. “As I say, of using judgment.” + </p> + <p> + “Judgment, yes, but the judgment which has not yet dawned for you, the + enlightenment which is the knowledge of God's will. Worldly wisdom is a + rule of thumb many men may acquire, the other wisdom, the wisdom of the + soul, is personal—the reward of revelation which springs from + desire. You ask me what I think you should do. I will tell you—but + you will not do it, you will be powerless to do it unless you see it for + yourself, unless the time shall come when you are willing to give up + everything you have held dear in life,—not your money, but your + opinions, the very judgment and wisdom you value, until you have gained + the faith which proclaims these worthless, until you are ready to receive + the Kingdom of God as a little child. You are not ready, now. Your + attitude, your very words, proclaim your blindness to all that has + happened you, your determination to carry out, so far as it is left to + you, your own will. You may die without seeing.” + </p> + <p> + Crazy as it all sounded, a slight tremor shook Eldon Parr. There was + something in the eyes, in the powerful features of the clergyman that kept + him still, that made him listen with a fascination which had he taken + cognizance of it—was akin to fear. That this man believed it, that + he would impress it upon others, nay, had already done so, the banker did + not then doubt. + </p> + <p> + “You speak of giving,” Hodder continued, “and you have nothing to give—nothing. + You are poorer to-day than the humblest man who has seen God. But you have + much, you have all to restore.” Without raising his voice, the rector had + contrived to put a mighty emphasis on the word. “You speak of the labour + of giving, but if you seek your God and haply find him you will not rest + night or day while you live until you have restored every dollar possible + of that which you have wrongfully taken from others.” + </p> + <p> + John Hodder rose and raised his arm in effective protest against the + interruption Eldon Parr was about to make. He bore him down. + </p> + <p> + “I know what you are going to say, Mr. Parr,—that it is not + practical. That word 'practical' is the barrier between you and your God. + I tell you that God can make anything practical. Your conscience, the + spirit, tortures you to-day, but you have not had enough torture, you + still think to escape easily, to keep the sympathy of a world which + despises you. You are afraid to do what God would have you do. You have + the opportunity, through grace, by your example to leave the world better + than you found it, to do a thing of such magnitude as is given to few men, + to confess before all that your life has been blind and wicked. That is + what the Spirit is trying to teach you. But you fear the ridicule of the + other blind men, you have not the faith to believe that many eyes would be + opened by your act. The very shame of such a confession, you think, is not + to be borne.” + </p> + <p> + “Suppose I acknowledge, which I do not, your preposterous charge, how + would you propose to do this thing?” + </p> + <p> + “It is very simple,” said the rector, “so far as the actual method of + procedure goes. You have only to establish a board of men in whom you have + confidence,—a court of claims, so to speak,—to pass upon the + validity of every application, not from a business standpoint alone, but + from one of a broad justice and equity. And not only that. I should have + it an important part of the duties of this board to discover for + themselves other claimants who may not, for various reasons, come forward. + In the case of the Consolidated Tractions, for instances there are + doubtless many men like Garvin who invested their savings largely on the + strength of your name. You cannot bring him back to life, restore him to + his family as he was before you embittered him, but it would be a + comparatively easy matter to return to his widow, with compound interest, + the sum which he invested.” + </p> + <p> + “For the sake of argument,” said Eldon Parr, “what would you do with the + innumerable impostors who would overwhelm such a board with claims that + they had bought and sold stock at a loss? And that is only one case I + could mention.” + </p> + <p> + “Would it be so dreadful a thing,” asked Hodder, “To run the risk of + making a few mistakes? It would not be business, you say. If you had the + desire to do this, you would dismiss such an obsession from your brain, + you would prefer to err on the aide of justice and mercy. And no matter + how able your board, in making restitution you could at best expect to + mend only a fraction of the wrongs you have done.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall waive, for the moment, my contention that the Consolidated + Tractions Company, had it succeeded, would greatly have benefited the + city. Even if it had been the iniquitous, piratical transaction you + suggest, why should I assume the responsibility for all who were concerned + in it?” + </p> + <p> + “If the grace were given you to do this, that question would answer + itself,” the rector replied. “The awful sense of responsibility, which you + now lack, would overwhelm you.” + </p> + <p> + “You have made me out a rascal and a charlatan,” said Eldon Parr, “and I + have listened' patiently in my desire to be fair, to learn from your own + lips whether there were anything in the extraordinary philosophy you have + taken up, and which you are pleased to call Christianity. If you will + permit me to be as frank as you have been, it appears to me as sheer + nonsense and folly, and if it were put into practice the world would be + reduced at once to chaos and anarchy.” + </p> + <p> + “There is no danger, I am sorry to say, of its being put into practice at + once,” said Hodder, smiting sadly. + </p> + <p> + “I hope not,” answered the banker, dryly. “Utopia is a dream in which + those who do the rough work of the world cannot afford to indulge. And + there is one more question. You will, no doubt, deride it as practical, + but to my mind it is very much to the point. You condemn the business + practices in which I have engaged all my life as utterly unchristian. If + you are logical, you will admit that no man or woman who owns stock in a + modern corporation is, according to your definition, Christian, and, to + use your own phrase, can enter the Kingdom of God. I can tell you, as one + who knows, that there is no corporation in this country which, in the + struggle to maintain itself, is not forced to adopt the natural law of the + survival of the fittest, which you condemn. Your own salary, while you had + it, came from men who had made the money in corporations. Business is + business, and admits of no sentimental considerations. If you can get + around that fact, I will gladly bow to your genius. Should you succeed in + reestablishing St. John's on what you call a free basis—and in my + opinion you will not—even then the money, you would live on, and + which supported the church, would be directly or indirectly derived from + corporations.” + </p> + <p> + “I do not propose to enter into an economics argument with you, Mr. Parr, + but if you tell me that the flagrant practices indulged in by those who + organized the Consolidated Tractions Company can be excused under any code + of morals, any conception of Christianity, I tell you they cannot. What do + we see today in your business world? Boards of directors, trusted by + stockholders, betraying their trust, withholding information in order to + profit thereby, buying and selling stock secretly; stock watering, selling + to the public diluted values,—all kinds of iniquity and abuse of + power which I need not go into. Do you mean to tell me, on the plea that + business is business and hence a department by itself, that deception, + cheating, and stealing are justified and necessary? The awakened + conscience of the public is condemning you. + </p> + <p> + “The time is at hand, though neither you nor I may live to see it, when + the public conscience itself is beginning to perceive thin higher justice + hidden from you. And you are attempting to mislead when you do not + distinguish between the men who, for their own gain and power, mismanage + such corporations as are mismanaged, and those who own stock and are + misled. + </p> + <p> + “The public conscience of which I speak is the leaven of Christianity at + work. And we must be content to work with it, to await its fulfilment, to + realize that no one of us can change the world, but can only do his part + in making it better. The least we can do is to refuse to indulge in + practices which jeopardize our own souls, to remain poor if we cannot make + wealth honestly. Say what you will, the Christian government we are + approaching will not recognize property, because it is gradually becoming + clear that the holding of property delays the Kingdom at which you scoff, + giving the man who owns it a power over the body of the man who does not. + Property produces slavery, since it compels those who have none to work + for those who have. + </p> + <p> + “The possession of property, or of sufficient property to give one + individual an advantage over his fellows is inconsistent with + Christianity. Hence it will be done away with, but only when enough have + been emancipated to carry this into effect. Hence the saying of our Lord + about the needle's eye—the danger to the soul of him who owns much + property.” + </p> + <p> + “And how about your Christian view of the world as a vale of tears?” Eldon + Parr inquired. + </p> + <p> + “So long as humanity exists, there will always be tears,” admitted the + rector. “But it is a false Christianity which does not bid us work for our + fellow-men, to relieve their suffering and make the world brighter. It is + becoming clear that the way to do this effectively is through communities, + cooperation, through nations, and not individuals. And this, if you like, + is practical,—so practical that the men like you, who have gained + unexampled privilege, fear it more and more. The old Christian + misconception, that the world is essentially a bad place, and which has + served the ends of your privilege, is going by forever. And the motto of + the citizens of the future will be the Christian motto, 'I am my brother's + keeper.' The world is a good place because the Spirit is continually + working in it, to make it better. And life is good, if only we take the + right view of it,—the revealed view.” + </p> + <p> + “What you say is all very fine,” said Eldon Parr. “And I have heard it + before, from the discontented, the socialists. But it does not take into + account the one essential element, human nature.” + </p> + <p> + “On the other hand, your scheme of life fails to reckon with the greater + factor, divine nature,” Hodder replied. + </p> + <p> + “When you have lived as long as I have, perhaps you will think + differently, Mr. Hodder.” Eldon Parr's voice had abruptly grown metallic, + as though the full realization had come over him of the severity of the + clergyman's arraignment; the audacity of the man who had ventured to + oppose him and momentarily defeated him, who had won the allegiance of his + own daughter, who had dared condemn him as an evil-doer and give advice as + to his future course. He, Eldon Parr, who had been used to settle the + destinies of men! His anger was suddenly at white heat; and his voice, + which he strove to control, betrayed it. + </p> + <p> + “Since you have rejected my offer, which was made in kindness, since you + are bent on ruining my daughter's life as well as your own, and she has + disregarded my wishes, I refuse to see either of you, no matter to what + straits you may come, as long as I live. That is understood. And she + leaves this house to-day, never to enter it again. It is useless to + prolong this conversation, I think.” + </p> + <p> + “Quite useless, as I feared, Mr. Parr. Do you know why Alison is willing + to marry me? It is because the strength has been given me to oppose you in + the name of humanity, and this in spite of the fact that her love for you + to-day is greater than it has ever been before. It is a part of the heavy + punishment you have inflicted on yourself that you cannot believe in her + purity. You insist on thinking that the time will come when she will + return to you for help. In senseless anger and pride you are driving her + away from you whom you will some day need. And in that day, should God + grant you a relenting heart to make the sign, she will come to you,—but + to give comfort, not to receive it. And even as you have threatened me, I + will warn you, yet not in anger. Except a man be born again, he cannot see + the Kingdom of God, nor understand the motives of those who would enter + into it. Seek and pray for repentance.” + </p> + <p> + Infuriated though he was, before the commanding yet compassionate bearing + of the rector he remained speechless. And after a moment's pause, Hodder + turned and left the room.... + </p> + <p> + III + </p> + <p> + When Hodder had reached the foot of the stairs, Alison came out to him. + The mourning she wore made her seem even taller. In the face upturned to + his, framed in the black veil and paler than he had known it, were traces + of tears; in the eyes a sad, yet questioning and trustful smile. They + gazed at each other an instant, before speaking, in the luminous ecstasy + of perfect communion which shone for them, undimmed, in the surrounding + gloom of tragedy. And thus, they felt, it would always shine. Of that + tragedy of the world's sin and sorrow they would ever be conscious. + Without darkness there could be no light. + </p> + <p> + “I knew,” she said, reading his tidings, “it would be of no use. Tell me + the worst.” + </p> + <p> + “If you marry me, Alison, your father refuses to see you again. He insists + that you leave the house.” + </p> + <p> + “Then why did he wish to see you?” + </p> + <p> + “It was to make an appeal. He thinks, of course, that I have made a + failure of life, and that if I marry you I shall drag you down to poverty + and disgrace.” + </p> + <p> + She raised her head, proudly. + </p> + <p> + “But he knows that it is I who insist upon marrying you! I explained it + all to him—how I had asked you. Of course he did not understand. He + thinks, I suppose, that it is simply an infatuation.” + </p> + <p> + In spite of the solemnity of the moment, Hodder smiled down at her, + touched by the confession. + </p> + <p> + “That, my dear, doesn't relieve me of responsibility. I am just as + responsible as though I had spoken first, instead of you.” + </p> + <p> + “But, John, you didn't—?” A sudden fear made her silent. + </p> + <p> + He took her hand and pressed it reassuringly. + </p> + <p> + “Give you up? No, Alison,” he answered simply. “When you came to me, God + put you in my keeping.” + </p> + <p> + She clung to him suddenly, in a passion of relief. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I never could give you up, I never would unless you yourself told me + to. Then I would do it,—for you. But you won't ask me, now?” + </p> + <p> + He put his arm around her shoulders, and the strength of it seemed to calm + her. + </p> + <p> + “No, dear. I would make the sacrifice, ask you to make it, if it would be + of any good. As you say, he does not understand. And you couldn't go on + living with him and loving me. That solution is impossible. We can only + hope that the time will come when he will realize his need of you, and + send for you.” + </p> + <p> + “And did he not ask you anything more?” + </p> + <p> + Hodder hesitated. He had intended to spare her that.... Her divination + startled him. + </p> + <p> + “I know, I know without your telling me. He offered you money, he + consented to our—marriage if you would give up St. John's. Oh, how + could he,” she cried. “How could he so misjudge and insult you!” + </p> + <p> + “It is not me he misjudges, Alison, it is mankind, it is God. That is his + terrible misfortune.” Hodder released her tenderly. “You must see him—you + must tell him that when he needs you, you will come.” + </p> + <p> + “I will see him now, she said. You will wait for, me?” + </p> + <p> + “Now?” he repeated, taken aback by her resolution, though it was + characteristic. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I will go as I am. I can send for my things. My father has given me + no choice, no reprieve,—not that I ask one. I have you, dear. I will + stay with Mr. Bentley to-night, and leave for New York to-morrow, to do + what I have to do—and then you will be ready for me.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said, “I shall be ready.” + </p> + <p> + He lingered in the well-remembered hall.... And when at last she came down + again her eyes shone bravely through her tears, her look answered the + question of his own. There was no need for speech. With not so much as a + look behind she left, with him, her father's house. + </p> + <p> + Outside, the mist had become a drizzle, and as they went down the walk + together beside the driveway she slipped her arm into his, pressing close + to his side. Her intuition was perfect, the courage of her love sublime. + </p> + <p> + “I have you, dear,” she whispered, “never in my life before have I been + rich.” + </p> + <p> + “Alison!” + </p> + <p> + It was all he could say, but the intensity of his mingled feeling went + into the syllables of her name. An impulse made them pause and turn, and + they stood looking back together at the great house which loomed the + greater in the thickening darkness, its windows edged with glow. Never, as + in this moment when the cold rain wet their faces, had the thought of its + comfort and warmth and luxury struck him so vividly; yes, and of its + terror and loneliness now, of the tortured spirit in it that found no + rest. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, John,” she cried, “if we only could!” + </p> + <p> + He understood her. Such was the perfect quality of their sympathy that she + had voiced his thought. What were rain and cold, the inclemency of the + elements to them? What the beauty and the warmth of those great, empty + rooms to Eldon Parr? Out of the heaven of their happiness they looked + down, helpless, into the horrors of the luxury of hell. + </p> + <p> + “It must be,” he answered her, “in God's good time.” + </p> + <p> + “Life is terrible!” she said. “Think of what he must have done to suffer + so, to be condemned to this! And when I went to him, just now, he wouldn't + even kiss me good-by. Oh, my dear, if I hadn't had you to take me, what + should I have done?... It never was a home to me—to any of us. And + as I look back now, all the troubles began when we moved into it. I can + only think of it as a huge prison, all the more sinister for its + costliness.” + </p> + <p> + A prison! It had once been his own conceit. He drew her gently away, and + they walked together along Park Street towards the distant arc-light at + the corner which flung a gleaming band along the wet pavement. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps it was because I was too young to know what trouble was when we + lived in Ransome Street,” she continued. “But I can remember now how sad + my mother was at times—it almost seemed as though she had a + premonition.” Alison's voice caught.... + </p> + <p> + The car which came roaring through the darkness, and which stopped + protestingly at their corner, was ablaze with electricity, almost filled + with passengers. A young man with a bundle changed his place in order that + they might sit together in one of the little benches bordering the aisle; + opposite them was a laughing, clay-soiled group of labourers going home + from work; in front, a young couple with a chubby child. He stood between + his parents, facing about, gazing in unembarrassed wonder at the dark lady + with the veil. Alison's smile seemed only to increase the solemnity of his + adoration, and presently he attempted to climb over the barrier between + them. Hodder caught him, and the mother turned in alarm, recapturing him. + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't bother the lady, Jimmy,” she said, when she had thanked the + rector. She had dimpled cheeks and sparkling blue eyes, but their + expression changed as they fell on Alison's face, expressing something of + the wonder of the child's. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, he isn't bothering me,” Alison protested. “Do let him stand.” + </p> + <p> + “He don't make up to everybody,” explained the mother, and the manner of + her speech was such a frank tribute that Alison flushed. There had been, + too, in the look the quick sympathy for bereavement of the poor. + </p> + <p> + “Aren't they nice?” Alison leaned over and whispered to Hodder, when the + woman had turned back. “One thing, at least, I shall never regret,—that + I shall have to ride the rest of my life in the streetcars. I love them. + That is probably my only qualification, dear, for a clergyman's wife.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder laughed. “It strikes me,” he said, “as the supreme one.” + </p> + <p> + They came at length to Mr. Bentley's door, flung open in its usual wide + hospitality by Sam. Whatever theist fortunes, they would always be welcome + here.... But it turned out, in answer to their question, that their friend + was not at home. + </p> + <p> + “No, sah,” said Sam, bowing and smiling benignantly, “but he done tole me + to say, when you and Miss Alison come, hit was to make no diffunce, dat + you bofe was to have supper heah. And I'se done cooked it—yassah. + Will you kindly step into the liba'y, suh, and Miss Alison? Dar was a lady + 'crost de city, Marse Ho'ace said—yassah.” + </p> + <p> + “John,” said Alison with a questioning smile, when they were alone before + the fire, “I believe he went out on purpose,—don't you?—just + that we might be here alone.” + </p> + <p> + “He knew we were coming?” + </p> + <p> + “I wrote him.” + </p> + <p> + “I think he might be convicted on the evidence,” Hodder agreed. “But—?” + His question remained unasked. + </p> + <p> + Alison went up to him. He had watched her, absorbed and fascinated, as + with her round arms gracefully lifted in front of the old mirror she had + taken off her hat and veil; smoothing, by a few deft touches, the dark + crown of her hair. The unwonted intimacy of the moment, invoking as it did + an endless reflection of other similar moments in their future life + together, was in its effect overwhelming, bringing with it at last a + conviction not to be denied. Her colour rose as she faced him, her lashes + fell. + </p> + <p> + “Did you seriously think, dear, that we could have deceived Mr. Bentley? + Then you are not as clever as I thought you. As soon as it happened I sent + him a note? that very night. For I felt that he ought to be told first of + all.” + </p> + <p> + “And as usual,” Hodder answered, “you were right.” + </p> + <p> + Supper was but a continuation of that delicious sense of intimacy. And + Sam, beaming in his starched shirt and swallow-tail, had an air of + presiding over a banquet of state. And for that matter, none had ever gone + away hungry from this table, either for meat or love. It was, indeed, a + consecrated meal,—consecrated for being just there. Such was the + tact which the old darky had acquired from his master that he left the + dishes on the shining mahogany board, and bowed himself out. + </p> + <p> + “When you wants me, Miss Alison, des ring de bell.” + </p> + <p> + She was seated upright yet charmingly graceful, behind the old English + coffee service which had been Mr. Bentley's mother's. And it was she who, + by her wonderful self-possession, by the reassuring smile she gave him as + she handed him his cup, endowed it all with reality. + </p> + <p> + “It's strange,” she said, “but it seems as though I had been doing it all + my life, instead of just beginning.” + </p> + <p> + “And you do it as though you had,” he declared. + </p> + <p> + “Which is a proof,” she replied, “of the superior adaptability of women.” + </p> + <p> + He did not deny it. He would not then, in truth, have disputed her wildest + statement... But presently, after they had gone back into the library and + were seated side by side before the coals, they spoke again of serious + things, marvelling once more at a happiness which could be tinged and yet + unmarred by vicarious sorrow. Theirs was the soberer, profounder happiness + of gratitude and wonder, too wise to exult, but which of itself is + exalted; the happiness which praises, and passes understanding. + </p> + <p> + “There are many things I want to say to you, John,” she told him, once, + “and they trouble me a little. It is only because I am so utterly devoted + to you that I wish you to know me as I am. I have always had queer views, + and although much has happened to change me since I have known and loved + you, I am not quite sure how much those views have changed. Love,” she + added, “plays such havoc with one's opinions.” + </p> + <p> + She returned his smile, but with knitted brows. + </p> + <p> + “It's really serious—you needn't laugh. And it's only fair to you to + let you know the kind of a wife you are getting, before it is too late. + For instance, I believe in divorce, although I can't imagine it for us. + One never can, I suppose, in this condition—that's the trouble. I + have seen so many immoral marriages that I can't think God intends people + to live degraded. And I'm sick and tired of the argument that an + indissoluble marriage under all conditions is good for society. That a man + or woman, the units of society, should violate the divine in themselves + for the sake of society is absurd. They are merely setting an example to + their children to do the same thing, which means that society in that + respect will never get any better. In this love that has come to us we + have achieved an ideal which I have never thought to reach. Oh, John, I'm + sure you won't misunderstand me when I say that I would rather die than + have to lower it.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” he answered, “I shall not misunderstand you.” + </p> + <p> + “Even though it is so difficult to put into words what I mean. I don't + feel that we really need the marriage service, since God has already + joined us together. And it is not through our own wills, somehow, but + through his. Divorce would not only be a crime against the spirit, it + would be an impossibility while we feel as we do. But if love should + cease, then God himself would have divorced us, punished us by taking away + a priceless gift of which we were not worthy. He would have shut the gates + of Eden in our faces because we had sinned against the Spirit. It would be + quite as true to say 'whom God has put asunder no man may join together.' + Am I hurting you?” + </p> + <p> + Her hand was on the arm of his chair, and the act of laying his own on it + was an assurance stronger than words. Alison sighed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I believed you would understand, even though I expressed myself + badly,—that you would help me, that you have found a solution. I + used to regard the marriage service as a compromise, as a lowering of the + ideal, as something mechanical and rational put in the place of the + spiritual; that it was making the Church, and therefore God, conform to + the human notion of what the welfare of society ought to be. And it is + absurd to promise to love. We have no control over our affections. They + are in God's hands, to grant or withdraw. + </p> + <p> + “And yet I am sure—this is new since I have known you—that if + such a great love as ours be withdrawn it would be an unpardonable wrong + for either of us to marry again. That is what puzzles me—confounds + the wisdom I used to have, and which in my littleness and pride I thought + so sufficient. I didn't believe in God, but now I feel him, through you, + though I cannot define him. And one of many reasons why I could not + believe in Christ was because I took it for granted that he taught, among + other things, a continuation of the marriage relation after love had + ceased to justify it.” + </p> + <p> + Hodder did not immediately reply. Nor did Alison interrupt his silence, + but sat with the stillness which at times so marked her personality, her + eyes trustfully fixed on him. The current pulsing between them was + unbroken. Hodder's own look, as he gazed into the grate, was that of a + seer. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said at length, “it is by the spirit and not the letter of our + Lord's teaching that we are guided. The Spirit which we draw from the + Gospels. And everything written down there that does not harmonize with it + is the mistaken interpretation of men. Once the Spirit possesses us truly, + we are no longer troubled and confused by texts. + </p> + <p> + “The alpha and omega of Christ's message is rebirth into the knowledge of + that Spirit, and hence submission to its guidance. And that is what Paul + meant when he said that it freed us from the law. You are right, Alison, + when you declare it to be a violation of the Spirit for a man and woman to + live together when love does not exist. Christ shows us that laws were + made for those who are not reborn. Laws are the rules of society, to be + followed by those who have not found the inner guidance, who live and die + in the flesh. But the path which those who live under the control of the + Spirit are to take is opened up to them as they journey. If all men and + women were reborn we should have the paradox, which only the reborn can + understand, of what is best for the individual being best for society, + because under the will of the Spirit none can transgress upon the rights + and happiness of others. The Spirit would make the laws and rules + superfluous. + </p> + <p> + “And the great crime of the Church, for which she is paying so heavy an + expiation, is that her faith wavered, and she forsook the Spirit and + resumed the law her Master had condemned. She no longer insisted on that + which Christ proclaimed as imperative, rebirth. She became, as you say, a + mechanical organization, substituting, as the Jews had done, hard and fast + rules for inspiration. She abandoned the Communion of Saints, sold her + birthright for a mess of pottage, for worldly, temporal power when she + declared that inspiration had ceased with the Apostles, when she failed to + see that inspiration is personal, and comes through rebirth. For the sake + of increasing her membership, of dominating the affairs of men, she has + permitted millions who lived in the law and the flesh, who persisted in + forcing men to live by the conventions and customs Christ repudiated, and + so stultify themselves, to act in Christ's name. The unpardonable sin + against the Spirit is to doubt its workings, to maintain that society will + be ruined if it be substituted for the rules and regulations supposed to + make for the material comforts of the nations, but which in reality + suppress and enslave the weak. + </p> + <p> + “Nevertheless in spite of the Church, marvellously through the Church the + germ of our Lord's message has come down to us, and the age in which we + live is beginning to realize its purport, to condemn the Church for her + subservient rationalism. + </p> + <p> + “Let us apply the rule of the Spirit to marriage. If we examine the ideal + we shall see clearly that the marriage-service is but a symbol. Like + baptism, it is a worthless and meaningless rite unless the man and the + woman have been born again into the Spirit, released from the law. If they + are still, as St. Paul would say, in the flesh, let them have, if they + wish, a civil permit to live together, for the Spirit can have nothing to + do with such an union. True to herself, the Church symbolizes the union of + her members, the reborn. She has nothing to do with laws and conventions + which are supposedly for the good of society, nor is any union + accomplished if those whom she supposedly joins are not reborn. If they + are, the Church can neither make it or dissolve it, but merely confirm and + acknowledge the work of the Spirit. And every work of the Spirit is a + sacrament. Not baptism and communion and marriage only, but every act of + life. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, John,” she exclaimed, her eyes lighting, “I can believe that! How + beautiful a thought! I see now what is meant when it is said that man + shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of + the mouth of God. That is the hourly guidance which is independent of the + law. And how terrible to think that all the spiritual beauty of such a + religion should have been hardened into chapter and verse and regulation. + You have put into language what I think of Mr. Bentley,—that has + acts are sacraments.... It is so simple when you explain it this way. And + yet I can see why it was said, too, that we must become as children to + understand it.” + </p> + <p> + “The difficult thing,” replied Holder, gravely, “is to retain it, to hold + it after we have understood it—even after we have experienced it. To + continue to live in the Spirit demands all our effort, all our courage and + patience and faith. We cannot, as you say, promise to love for life. But + the marriage service, interpreted, means that we will use all our human + endeavour, with the help of the Spirit, to remain in what may be called + the reborn state, since it is by the Spirit alone that true marriage is + sanctified. When the Spirit is withdrawn, man and woman are indeed + divorced. + </p> + <p> + “The words 'a sense of duty' belong to moral philosophy and not to + religion. Love annuls them. I do not mean to decry them, but the reborn + are lifted far above them by the subversion of the will by which our will + is submitted to God's. It is so we develop, and become, as it were, God. + And hence those who are not married in the Spirit are not spiritually man + and wife. No consecration has taken place, Church or no Church. If rebirth + occurs later, to either or both, the individual conscience—which is + the Spirit, must decide whether, as regards each other, they are bound or + free, and we must stand or fall by that. Men object that this is opening + the door to individualism. What they fail to see is that the door is open, + wide, to-day and can never again be closed: that the law of the naturally + born is losing its power, that the worn-out authority of the Church is + being set at naught because that authority was devised by man to keep in + check those who were not reborn. The only check to material individualism + is spiritual individualism, and the reborn man or woman cannot act to the + detriment of his fellow-creatures.” + </p> + <p> + In her turn she was silent, still gazing at him, her breath coming deeply, + for she was greatly moved. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she said simply, “I can see now why divorce between us would be a + sacrilege. I felt it, John, but I couldn't reason it out. It is the + consecration of the Spirit that justifies the union of the flesh. For the + Spirit, in that sense, does not deny the flesh.” + </p> + <p> + “That would be to deny life,” Hodder replied. + </p> + <p> + “I see. Why was it all so hidden!” The exclamation was not addressed to + him—she was staring pensively into the fire. But presently, with a + swift movement, she turned to him. + </p> + <p> + “You will preach this, John,—all of it!” + </p> + <p> + It was not a question, but the cry of a new and wider vision of his task. + Her face was transfigured. And her voice, low and vibrating, expressed no + doubts. “Oh, I am proud of you! And if they put you out and persecute you + I shall always be proud, I shall never know why it was given me to have + this, and to live. Do you remember saying to me once that faith comes to + us in some human form we love? You are my faith. And faith in you is my + faith in humanity, and faith in God.” + </p> + <p> + Ere he could speak of his own faith in her, in mankind, by grace of which + he had been lifted from the abyss, there came a knock at the door. And + even as they answered it a deeper knowledge filtered into their hearts. + </p> + <p> + Horace Bentley stood before them. And the light from his face, that shone + down upon them, was their benediction. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0038" id="link2H_4_0038"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + AFTERWORD + </h2> + <p> + Although these pages have been published serially, it is with a feeling of + reluctance that I send them out into the world, for better or worse, + between the covers of a book. They have been written with reverence, and + the reading of the proofs has brought back to me vividly the long winters + in which I pondered over the matter they contain, and wrote and rewrote + the chapters. + </p> + <p> + I had not thought to add anything to them by way of an afterword. Nothing + could be farther from my mind than to pose as a theologian; and, were it + not for one or two of the letters I have received, I should have supposed + that no reader could have thought of making the accusation that I presumed + to speak for any one except myself. In a book of this kind, the setting + forth of a personal view of religion is not only unavoidable, but + necessary; since, if I wrote sincerely, Mr. Hodder's solution must + coincide with my own—so far as I have been able to work one out. + Such as it is, it represents many years of experience and reflection. And + I can only crave the leniency of any trained theologian who may happen to + peruse it. + </p> + <p> + No one realizes, perhaps, the incompleteness of the religious + interpretations here presented more keenly than I. More significant, more + vital elements of the truth are the rewards of a mind which searches and + craves, especially in these days when the fruit of so many able minds lies + on the shelves of library and bookshop. Since the last chapter was + written, many suggestions have come to me which I should like to have the + time to develop for this volume. But the nature of these elements is + positive,—I can think of nothing I should care to subtract. + </p> + <p> + Here, then, so far as what may be called religious doctrine is concerned, + is merely a personal solution. We are in an age when the truth is being + worked out through many minds, a process which seems to me both Christian + and Democratic. Yet a gentleman has so far misunderstood this that he has + already accused me, in a newspaper, of committing all the heresies + condemned by the Council of Chalcedon,—and more! + </p> + <p> + I have no doubt that he is right. My consolation must be that I have as + company—in some of my heresies, at least—a goodly array of + gentlemen who wear the cloth of the orthodox churches whose doctrines he + accuses me of denying. The published writings of these clergymen are + accessible to all. The same critic declares that my interpretations are + without “authority.” This depends, of course; on one's view of + “authority.” But his accusation is true equally against many men who—if + my observation be correct—are doing an incalculable service for + religion by giving to the world their own personal solutions, interpreting + Christianity in terms of modern thought. No doubt these, too, are + offending the champions of the Council of Chalcedon. + </p> + <p> + And does the gentleman, may I ask, ever read the pages of the Hibbert + Journal? + </p> + <p> + Finally, I have to meet a more serious charge, that Mr. Hodder remains in + the Church because of “the dread of parting with the old, strong + anchorage, the fear of anathema and criticism, the thought of sorrowing + and disapproving friends.” Or perhaps he infers that it is I who keep Mr. + Hodder in the Church for these personal reasons. Alas, the concern of + society is now for those upon whom the Church has lost her hold, who are + seeking for a solution they can accept. And the danger to-day is not from + the side of heresy. The rector of St. John's, as a result of his struggle, + gained what I believe to be a higher and surer faith than that which he + formerly held, and in addition to this the realization of the presence of + a condition which was paralyzing the Church's influence. + </p> + <p> + One thing I had hoped to make clear, that if Mr. Hodder had left the + Church under these circumstances he would have made the Great Refusal. The + situation which he faced demanded something of the sublime courage of his + Master. + </p> + <p> + Lastly, may I be permitted to add that it is far from my intention to + reflect upon any particular denomination. The instance which I have taken + is perhaps a pronounced rather than a particular case of the problem to + which I have referred, and which is causing the gravest concern to + thoughtful clergymen and laymen of all denominations. + </p> + <p> + WINSTON CHURCHILL + </p> + <p> + SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA March 31,1913. + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: + + Absurd to promise to love + Acceptance of authority is not faith, it is mere credulity + Always getting glimpses of things when it is too late + Antipathy to forms + Bad music, she said, offended her + Can't believe in the doctrine of the virgin birth + Clothes of one man are binding on another + Conviction that all things were as they ought to be + Deification of beauty to the exclusion of all else + Economic slavery + Elaborate attention little men are apt to bestow upon women + Even after all these ages, the belief, the hope would not down + Faith may be likened to an egg + Foolish sacrifices are worse than useless + For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter + Futility of the traditional words of comfort + Genius, analyzed, is often disappointing + God himself would have divorced us + Had a habit of not waiting for answers to her questions + Happiness of gratitude and wonder, too wise to exult + He was what is known as a “success”—always that magic word + Hell's here—isn't it? + How to be silent with a clamouring heart + I see no one upon whom I can rely but myself + I hate humility + I'm always searching for things to do + If Christians were logical, they should be Socialists + Immortality as orthodox Christianity depicts it + Impulse had brought him thus far + Indiscriminate, unreasoning self-sacrifice + Individualism with which the Church can have no sympathy + Intellectually lazy + Know a great deal and don't believe anything + Knowledge puts faith out of the question + Logical result of independent thinking is anarchy + “Love,” she added, “plays such havoc with one's opinions” + Luxuries formerly unthought of seemed to become necessities + Material proof, it seems to me, is a denial of faith + Mistaking the effect for the cause + Mixture of awkwardness and straightforwardness + Not given to trite acquiescence + Olmah which Isaiah uses does not mean virgin + Only one regret as to what you said—that it is true + Pleasure? Yes. It makes me feel as if I were of some use + Religion, I think, should be everybody's (profession) + Rule which you so confidently apply to fit all cases + Scandalously forced through the council of Nicaea + Seeking a forgiveness out of all proportion to the trespass + St Paul, you say, put us in our proper place + Success—which was really failure + Sunday was then a day essentially different from other days + The law cannot fit all cases + The weak always sink + The hours of greatest suffering are the empty hours + Thinking isn't—believing + Vagueness generally attributed to her sex + Vividly unreal, as a toy village comes painted from the shop + We must believe, if we believe at all, without authority + We are always trying to get away from ourselves + We never can foresee how we may change + We have no control over our affections + When our brief span of usefulness is done + Who had learned the lesson of mothers,—how to wait + Whole conception of charity is a crime against civilization + You and your religion are as far apart as the poles +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Inside of the Cup, Complete +by Winston Churchill + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INSIDE OF THE CUP, COMPLETE *** + +***** This file should be named 5364-h.htm or 5364-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/6/5364/ + +Produced by David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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