“This is the book of God and man. The heart of it is a noble and worthy conception of the unseen God—that is its contribution to human thought and life. It is a Revelation of God, a revelation steadily growing in clarity till it finds perfect expression in Jesus the Christ.’ “Oh confound it, Gaspard! God knows there are problems scientific, ethical, philosophical and religious that no man can solve. Get hold of the great simple fundamental fact of God revealed and mediated in the Christ, and let the other things in the meantime go hang. Our faith is the _Christian_ faith, we are no bally Mohammedans. It is, as my professor used to say, Christocentric—Christ centered faith—chew on that and don’t worry.” Again there was silence for some moments, and then Paul, leaning forward, said in a voice hardly above a whisper, “Dalton, do you believe that psalm is true?” With an oath Dalton sprang to his feet. “Look here, I’m not in the confessional. But,” he shouted, “I do believe it. In spite of hell, in spite of the devil, I do believe it. And when I give that up I’ll blow my brains out.” “Then,” said Paul, sitting back in his chair, with a deep sigh of relief, “there’s the Keeper you need, Dalton.” CHAPTER XXIV “I am afraid Jack is having trouble with his Quarterly Board. He is very late, and I am sure will be terribly tired, for he has had a hard day’s work.” “My dear Mrs. Robinson, don’t worry about your husband. I am quite sure he will get his own way. You know, he has a gift in that direction.” “But, Mrs. Gunning, you know, because Mr. Gunning must have told you, how slow some of the deacons are to get his point of view.” “Never mind, my dear,” said Mrs. Gunning. Mrs. Gunning was a comfortable person whose ample and billowy proportions radiated an atmosphere of maternal and cheery good nature. She had dropped in to spend the evening with her pastor’s wife, who was not in a condition to be left long alone. “The Board cannot understand the needs of the Mission,” said the minister’s wife, “and those people down there need help so badly, and they are working so hard, with their wretched equipment in that old shed, to keep things going.” “I know, my dear. Frank is very interested, and I am sure that he will he able to do something with the Board. He has often told me of the work they are doing. He hears about it from young Mr. Dalton. You know he is in our office. And really it is quite wonderful how the Mission has got hold of him. He has made friends with that young fellow, Gaspard you know, who plays our organ sometimes.”