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his tongue to tell Joe he was unusually busy tonight, and would he come another time, or wa it till tomorrow, but the remem brance o f the picture made that seem un gracious. He would let them in for a few minutes. They probably wished to report that they had seen the picture in the room before the general view should be given, so he unfast ened the heavy French plate win dow and let the two in, turning up as he did so the lights in the room, so that the picture might be seen.
    They came in, lank and awkward, as though their best clothes someway hurt them, and they did not know what to do with their feet and the chairs. They did not sit down at first, but stood awkwardly in single file, looking as if they wished they were out now they were in. Their eyes went immediately to the picture. It was the way of that picture to draw all eyes that entered the room, and John Stanley noted this with the same growing irritation he had felt all day. But over their faces there grew that softened look of wonder and awe and amazem ent, and, to John Stanley's sur prise, of deep-seated, answering love to the love in the eyes of the picture. He looked at the picture himself now, and his fancy made it seem that the Master was looking at these two, well pleased. Could it be that he was better pleased with these two ignorant boys than with him, John Stanley, polished gentleman and cultured Christian that he trusted he was?
    He looked at Joe again and was reminded of the softened look of deep purpose the night Joe had told him beneath the vines of his intention to serve Christ, and now standing in the presence of the boy again and remembering it all vividly, as he had not done before, there swept over him the thrill of delight again that a soul had been saved. His heart, long unused to such emo tions, fe lt weak, and he sat down and mo tioned the boys to do the same. It would seem that the sight of the picture had braced up the two to whatever mission theirs had been, for their faces were set in steady purpose, though it was evident that this mission was embarrassing. They looked at one another helplessly as if each hoped the other would begin, and at last Joe plunged in.
    "Mr. Stanley, you be e n so good to us we thought 'twas only fair to you we should tell you. That is, we thought you'd like it, and anyway, maybe you wouldn't take it amiss."
    John Stanley's heart was kind, and he had been deeply interested in this boy once. It all came back to him now, and he felt a strong desire to help him on, though he wondered what could be the nature of his errand.
    Joe caught his breath and went on. "You see, she don't know about it. She's heard so much of you, and she never heard that, not even when they was talking about the den and all at the store, she was just look in ' at the picture and him," raising his eyes reverently to the picture on the wall, "and we never thought to tell her afore, and her so set against it. And we thought anyway afterward maybe you'd quit. Some do. We all did, but that was her doin '. But we thought you'd like to know, and if you had quit she needn't never be told at all, and if you hadn't, why we thought maybe ' twouldn't be nothin ' for you to quit now, 'fore she ever knew about it."
    The slow red was stealing up into the face of John Stanley. He was utterly at a loss to understand what this meant, and yet he felt that he was being arraigned . And in such a way! So humbly and by such almost adoring arraigners that he felt it would be foolish and wrong to give way to any feeling of irritation, or indignation, or even offended dignity on his part.
    "I do not understand, Joe," he said at last, looking from one to another of the two boys who seemed too wretched to care to live longer. "Who is she? And what is it that she does not know, and that you want me to 'quit'? And why should it be anything to her, whoever she is, what I do?"
    "Why it's her, Miss Manning—Margaret Manning—our teacher." Joe spoke the name slowly, as if