"Now, my dear Bishop, I write this note to you, calling it hypothetical; but to me, it is more than hypothetical--it is a real case. This young man is one of my patients, and I love him as dearly as if he were my own son for his noble qualities and his sincere penitence, as well as for the pure life he lives. His physical condition is indeed precarious, and I feel sure that his life will be shortened unless he receives relief. Kindly give me your righteous judgment of this case. I have his confidence, and cannot betray it; hence the secrecy of this inquiry. "Sincerely yours, "MARMION." A few days later the doctor received the following: "MY DEAR DOCTOR MARMION: Your hypothetical (?) note is here. I have read it several times, with increasing interest, and with a prayerful desire to be able to assist you to arrive at a righteous decision in what seems to be a very important matter. "First. You say (if I understand correctly) that restitution has been made to the parties against whom the crime was perpetrated. That is well and so far satisfactory. "But, second. The crime was a double one. When _that_ wrong was righted to the first parties, then the second parties, in the deception practiced upon them, suffered more and longer than the parties of the first part, so that really the crime is only partially expiated until the wronged parents are undeceived, and he has made his peace with them. I feel safe in saying that this young man will never be happy, nor his physical condition improved, until he pays the full price of his sin. All who have been wronged must be righted. Depend upon it, his life will be chaotic, unreliable, and unhappy until he makes a clean breast of it to his parents. When he does this, if I were his father, I would take him to my heart, and give him a father's love and forgiveness. If I were his employer, and he came to me honestly confessing his sin, I should not dare to withhold either my confidence or my love. I should pity as a father pities, and I should say: "Go, sin no more." "Now, my dear Doctor, in conclusion, this son (not you) should be the one to undeceive the parents. I can and do understand the _delicate reason_ which actuates him in fearing to undeceive his parents in regard to his being alive, while they have and do believe him dead. If you can remove this deep impression from his mind, all will soon be right. _But he must do this himself_, not by letter either, he must go to his father; yes, he must arise and go to his father. "Affectionately yours, "ALBERTSON." The bishop sat in his office six feet away from his secretary, while writing this letter of reply, and when he had concluded it he did as was his custom in his correspondence--passed both letters over to his secretary to read aloud. In a few moments Carl picked up Marmion's letter. After reading a few sentences he halted, saying: "Bishop, this seems to be a confidential letter. Shall I continue?"