The bishop still sat thoughtfully. "What would you recommend?" he said, after a while. "Well, if you ask my advice, I should recommend that you appoint a committee to examine into this man's story; and if we find--as I am sure we shall find--that he is playing a trick upon the community, that he--and, if need be, his parents--be dismissed from the communion of the Church." "Oh, Dayton," said the bishop, "could you do such a thing as that? Could you come between a man and his God?" "No," said Dr. Dayton, "but I would thrust myself between a rotten sheep and my wholesome flock, that may else become contaminated, even if, in doing so, that one sheep should be sacrificed." Again the bishop sat for a while in moody silence. He was turning a lead-pencil around and around between his fingers. "Very well," he said, at last, "I shall appoint a committee, as you recommend. How would day after to-morrow do for them to meet?" "At what time?" "Well, say nine o'clock in the evening, here at the rectory." "Very well; that will suit me." After the visitor had gone, the bishop went straight to his wife and told her what he had heard about Martha Kettle. "I don't believe it," said Mrs. Caiaphas, promptly. "I am afraid it is true," said the bishop. "If it is," said Mrs. Caiaphas, "I will never give her another stitch as long as I live." * * * * * The evening that the committee was to meet at the rectory, Gilderman and his wife dined with the bishop and Mrs. Caiaphas. After the dinner Gilderman was to go up to the club. A reception was to be given to Secretary Titus, and he was one of the committee appointed to receive the guest of the club. When Gilderman had married Dr. Caiaphas's daughter it had provoked no small degree of talk in the particular social set to which he belonged. It was regarded as a distinct _mésalliance_ upon his part, and his aunt, Mrs. de Monteserrat, had been so offended that she had refused to attend the wedding, and had not even yet fully taken him with his wife into her favor again. Dr. Caiaphas maintained a very philosophical attitude concerning his daughter's exalted marriage. "I believe Henry is a good, kind man," he had been heard to declare, "or else I would not have trusted so precious a gift as my dear daughter into his keeping." Nevertheless, in his heart of hearts he was enormously elated at her great good-fortune; for a family alliance of an ecclesiastic of even so high a position as Dr. Caiaphas enjoyed, with a young Roman of such an exalted altitude as Gilderman, was a matter to bring great glory not only upon the young wife herself, but upon her entire family. It meant that the ægis of his power and wealth and influence was to be extended over all the other sons and daughters--it made possible opportunities of the highest advancement for the young men, and possible alliances of the same social magnitude for the girls.