Mr. Pennington colored and mentally decided to abandon the confirmation business. As a whole he was very popular in Samona, where some of the people looked upon him as a suitor for the Rector’s daughter. It did not take long for this gossip to reach Mr. Hansford, who was greatly annoyed. As yet Elithe had shown no sign of consciousness, but there might come an awakening, which, if possible, he would prevent. In his extremity his thoughts turned to his aunt, Miss Phebe Hansford. It was more than twenty years since he had seen her and a long time since he had heard from her. She had opposed his marriage bitterly and opposed his going into the ministry as an Episcopal clergyman. She had very little faith in the church and less in Lucy Potter, and when he espoused both she washed her hands of him and had kept them washed and dried ever since. He could not ask her to invite Elithe to visit her, but he would write to her and send his daughter’s picture, hoping that something might come of it. It would be hard to part with Elithe, but he would do it if by so doing he could remove her from danger. There was a consultation with his wife, who at first demurred, but at last consented, and the letter on which so much was pending was sent with a prayer that it might have the desired result. CHAPTER X. MISS HANSFORD’S LETTER. It was quite a gala day in Samona. The church was to be consecrated, and the place was full of people, many of them miners, who had come from Deep Gulch, to see the Bishop and to witness the ceremony. It was partly their church, they thought, as their money had helped to build it, and the window in the chancel was entirely their contribution. They would like to have had it dedicated “To the memory of the Rev. Roger Hansford by his friends, the Deep Gulch miners,” but as he was alive, this was hardly practicable, so they asked that the design be Christ blessing little children,—five of them,—the rector’s number. Besides the consecration and the Bishop and the window there was another attraction. Bill Stokes and Lizy Ann were to be confirmed, and rumor said _New York_, too. In the sincerity of Mr. and Mrs. Stokes the miners believed, but shook their heads over New York. He was a first-rate feller, but his conversion had been too sudden. They didn’t believe in the still, small voice,—they wanted a regular, old-fashioned knockdown, such as St. Paul had had, and such as Stokes declared he, too, had experienced. Still, if the parson and the Bishop were satisfied they were, and they’d like to see the man who not long ago was fighting the devil with shrieks and curses renounce him with solemn vows, and it was some disappointment to hear that he was not to be confirmed. He was, however, very busy everywhere. He had helped to decorate the chancel and the windows, showing remarkable deftness and taste. He was to dine with the Bishop at the Rectory. This had been Elithe’s proposition.