Dan went on. "I learned something yesterday, that I am sure you ought to know, and there seems to be no one else to tell you, so I--I came." Miss Farwell's cheeks and brow grew crimson, but in a moment she was her own calm self again. "Go on, please." Then he told her. While he was speaking of the Elders' visit and his talk with Dr. Abbott, she watched him closely. Two or three times she smiled. When he had finished she asked with a touch of sarcasm in her voice, "And do you wish to see my letters of recommendation? Shall I give you a list of people to whom you might write?" "Miss Farwell!" Dan's voice brought the hot color again to her cheek. "Forgive me! That was unkind," she said. "Well rather. You might see that I did not come to you with this for--well for fun," he finished with a grim smile. "You don't seem to be enjoying it greatly," she agreed critically. "I can easily understand how this talk might result in something very serious for you. You will remember, I think, that I warned you, you could not leave the preacher on the other side of the fence." She was deliberately trying him. "But of course you can easily avoid any trouble with your people, you have only to--" She stopped, checked by the expression on his face. His voice rang out sharply with a quality in its tone that sent a thrill to the heart of the woman. "I did not come here to discuss the possibility of trouble for me. Please believe this--even if I am a servant of the church." He spoke the last words with a shade of bitterness, she thought, and as she looked at him--his powerful form tense for a moment, with firm-set lips and square jaw and stern eyes--she found herself wondering what would happen if this servant should ever decide to be the master. "Don't you see how this idle, silly, wicked talk is likely to harm you?" he asked almost roughly. "You know what the same thing did for Grace Conner. It is really serious, Miss Farwell--believe me it is, or I should not have told you about it at all. Already Dr. Harry--" He checked himself. His reference to his friend was unintentional. She finished the sentence quietly, "--has found some people who will not employ me because of the things that are being said. I knew something was wrong, for--instead of telling me of possible cases and assuring me of work, he has been saying lately, 'I will let you know if anything turns up.'" Dan broke in eagerly, "Dr. Abbott has done everything he could, Miss Farwell. I ought not to have mentioned him at all. You must not think--"