“Ah!” exclaimed the other. “There you have it! Miss Gladys is a school friend of Mr. Hickman's daughter; and, of course, she went at once to tell her. And, of course, she will tell everyone else she knows--the whole congregation will be gossiping about it to-morrow!” “I am very sorry, sir.” “You see the trouble you cause me! And I must tell you plainly, Samuel, that this thing cannot go on another minute. Unless you are prepared to give up these absurd ideas of yours and attend to your duties as the sexton's boy, it will be necessary for you to leave the church.” Samuel was staring at him aghast. “Leave the church!” he cried. “Most assuredly!” declared the other. “Dr. Vince!” exclaimed the other. “Do you mean that you would actually try to turn me out of the church?” “I would, sir!” “But, doctor, have you the right to do that?” “The right? Why not?” “You have the right to take away my work. But to turn me out of the church?” “Samuel,” cried the distracted clergyman, “am I not the rector of this church?” “But, doctor,” cried Samuel, “it is the church of God!” There was a long pause. Finally, Samuel took up the conversation again. “Tell me, Dr. Vince,” he said. “When Mr. Hickman came to see you, did he deny that he had committed that crime?” “I did not ask him,” replied the other. “You didn't ask him!” exclaimed the boy in dismay. “You didn't even care that much?” Again there was a pause. “I asked Mr. Wygant,” said Samuel in a low voice. “And he confessed that he was guilty.” “What!” cried the other. “He confessed it--his whole conversation was a confession of it. He said everybody did those things, because that was the way to make money, and everybody wanted to make money. He called it competition. And then I asked him why he came to the church of Jesus, and he ordered me out of his house.” Dr. Vince was listening with knitted brows. “And what do you propose to do now,” he asked. “I don't know, sir. I suppose I shall have to expose him.” “Samuel,” exclaimed the clergyman, “in all this wild behavior of yours, does it never occur to you that you owe some gratitude to me?” “Oh, doctor!” cried the boy, clasping his hands in agony. “Don't say anything like that to me!” “I do say it!” persisted the other. “I saved you and helped you; and now you are causing me most terrible suffering!” “Doctor,” protested Samuel, “I would do anything in the world for you--I would die for you. But you ask me to be false to my duty; and how can I do that?” “But does it never occur to you that older and wiser people may be better able to judge than you are?” “But the facts are so plain, sir! And you have never answered me! You simply command me to be silent!” The other did not reply.