As Mr. Woodhull made no further objection to his going, Ray cast off the fastenings of the boat, and, with the wind directly across its beam, started for the town. He arrived there about dark, but had time to go up to the store before the meeting, and order the grain he wished to be delivered at the wharf by half-past eight. He also did a number of other errands; and, with his arms full of bundles, entered the lecture room of the First Church just as the service began. Many recalled afterward the prayer the lad offered that evening, not so much for the ideas expressed in it as for the deep fervor and consciousness of the Master's presence that it exhibited. "How that boy grows in grace!" was the thought of more than one there that night. When the meeting closed, it was already thundering heavily, and the clouds looked as though it might rain at any moment. Ray therefore said to his pastor: "Mr. Carleton, I am afraid it will rain before I get through with my recitation, and, as I have some grain down at the boat, I will first go and see that it is properly covered, and put these bundles on board; then I will come round to the parsonage." A half hour later, he rang the parsonage bell, and when shown to the study he seemed greatly stirred up about something, and Mr. Carleton noticed also that he had on an old ragged coat, in the place of the one he wore when he had left the church. Ray saw his pastor's glance at the coat, and immediately said, apologetically: "When I got down to the wharf, Mr. Carleton, I found the bags of grain had been dumped out on the dock, and, taking off my coat, I laid it on a pile of lumber near by, while I stowed them away in the boat and covered them over with a sail cloth. When I had finished, and went to get my coat, I couldn't find it; either I have overlooked it in the darkness, or else some one stole it while I was at work. I happened to have this old one on the boat, and so put it on to wear up here." After talking awhile on the singularity of the circumstance, they turned their attention to the lessons before them. When Ray had completed his recitation it was raining hard, and at Mr. Carleton's suggestion he waited for it to hold up. Toward midnight, as there seemed to be no cessation of the storm, he told Mr. Carleton he would not keep him up any longer, and arose to go. "You had better remain right here to-night," Mr. Carleton said, "and go home early in the morning." "No," replied Ray; "I'll go down to my boat and crawl into the cuddy, and as soon as the storm slackens I'll drop down the bay." He even refused the umbrella Mr. Carleton offered him, and darted off through the rain and darkness. Both of them, however, soon had reason to wish he had remained there quietly until morning.