John looked troubled. He knew the rebuke was merited. "I have feared my sermons were, as you say, scarcely doctrinal enough. Yet I have instructed you these six years in points of faith, and I felt it was perhaps wiser to turn more to the tenderness of God as it is in Christ. And I cannot agree with you that the doctrines are not in the Bible, Mr. Dean." "Well," the elder admitted, "of course. But not so he that runs may read, or that the wayfaring man will not err therein. There is some folks as would take 'God is love' out of the Good Book, and forget 'Our God is a consuming fire.'" John bent his head on his hand for a moment, and drove his mind back to his old arguments for silence. Neither of the men spoke for a little while, and then John said, still without raising his head:-- "Do you feel that this--neglect of mine has been of injury to any soul? It is your duty to tell me." It was here that Helen's knock came, and when John had taken his seat again he looked his accuser straight in the eyes. "Do you?" he said. "Sir," answered the elder, "I can't say. I ain't heard that it has--and yet--I'm fearful. Yet I didn't come to reproach you for that. You have your reasons for doing as you did, no doubt. But what I did come to do, preacher, was to warn you that there was a creepin' evil in the church; and we need strong doctrine now, if we ain't before. And I came the quicker to tell you, sir, because it's fastened on my own household. Yes, on my own child!" "Your own child?" John said. "You have nothing to fear for Alfaretta; she is a very good, steady girl." "She's good enough and she's steady enough," returned Mr. Dean, shaking his head; "and oh, Mr. Ward, when she joined the church, two years ago, there wasn't anybody (joinin' on profession) better grounded in the faith than she was. She knew her catechism through and through, and she never asked a question or had a doubt about it in her life. But now,--now it's different!" "Do you mean," John asked, "that her faith is shaken,--that she has doubts? Such times are apt to come to very young Christians, though they are conscious of no insincerity, and the doubts are but superficial. Has she such doubts?" "She has, sir, she has," cried the elder, "and it breaks my heart to see my child given over to the Evil One!" "No, no," John said tenderly; "if she is one of the elect,--and we have reason to hope she is,--she will persevere. Remember, for your comfort, the perseverance of the saints. But how has this come about? Is it through any influence?" "Yes, sir, it is," said the elder quickly. "What is the especial doubt?" John asked. "It is her views of hell that distress me," answered the elder. John looked absently beyond him, with eyes which saw, not Alfaretta, but Helen. "That is very serious," he said slowly. "'T ain't natural to her," protested the elder. "She was grounded on hell; she's been taught better. It's the influence she's been under, preacher."