"Oh, yes," was Fenton's reply; "there is something superb in the earnestness of the Puritans, and their absorption in one idea; but that idea has left its birthmark of gloom on all their descendants, and one cannot forget that Puritanism was the soil from which sprang the unbelief of today." "Bless us!" cried Rangely, "is Saul also among the prophets? Are you also condemning unbelief?" "Not at all," said Fenton, coolly, "I only want those who defend Puritanism to accept its legitimate results." "It seems to me," protested Mr. Candish, who had become very red according to his unfortunate wont; "that if you argue in that way, you must always condemn good, because evil may come after it." "Oh, I do," retorted Fenton, airily. Everybody except the clergyman laughed at the unexpectedness of this reply; but Mr. Candish was wounded by the most faint suspicion of anything like trifling with sacred things. "My husband is utterly abandoned, as you see, Mr. Candish," said Edith, coming to the rescue, as she always did when Arthur showed signs of baiting the rector. "Is the decision made in regard to the _America_?" she continued, turning to Mr. Hubbard, by way of changing the subject. "Yes," he answered, "the commission is to be given to Orin Stanton." "Orin Stanton?" asked Kent. "Who is he?" "Oh, he," returned Fenton, "is a man that had the misfortune to be born with a wooden toothpick in his mouth instead of a silver spoon." "Is he Irish?" "No, but he ought to be to have won favor in the sight of a committee appointed by the Boston City Government." "Come," said Helen; "that is rather severe when Mr. Hubbard is on the committee." "Oh, I don't mind," returned Hubbard. "I know Fenton wouldn't lose a chance of having his fling at the Irish." "Well," Fenton explained, defensively, "I am always irritated at the pity of the United States having expended so much blood and treasure to free itself from the dominion of the whole of Great Britain simply to sink into dependence upon so insignificant a part of that kingdom as Ireland." "Mercy!" exclaimed Miss Penwick. "What extreme sentiments!" They smiled at the old lady's words, and then Edith went back to the statue. "I fancy young Stanton hasn't been above some wire-pulling," she remarked. "He sent his prospective sister-in-law, Melissa Blake, to ask me to use my influence with Uncle Peter in his behalf." "He needn't have troubled," Mr. Hubbard returned. "Mr. Calvin supported him from the first." "Oh, yes," Ethel said; "Mrs. Frostwinch and Mrs. Bodewin Ranger chose Stanton long ago and persuaded Mr. Calvin to help them." "I can't fancy Mr. Calvin as anybody's tool," commented Kent, who would have regarded his companion's words as a trifle too frank to be spoken at the table of Mr. Calvin's niece, had his mind been in a condition to take exception to anything that she said. "Isn't that Melissa Blake," asked Mr. Hubbard of Edith, "the one you recommended to me as a copyist?"