new that she had been stung,
either by her conscience or else by Dr. Selmser. She chose to think
it was Dr. Selmser, and she felt like repaying him for it. He should
be made to understand that people wouldn't bear everything; that he
must just learn to be a little more careful about what he said and
did. "Take heed what ye do; let the fear of the Lord be upon you."
Yes, _she_ heard the text, and was thinking of her party all the
time. Did she think that certain things which occurred in her
parlours on that evening were not in accordance with the text? Then
did she think to blot out the text by showing her ability to stir up
a commotion? What _do_ such people think, anyway?

There came a day when even Mrs. Dr. Matthews herself stood aghast
over what had been done, and didn't more than half recognise her hand
in the matter, so many helpers she had found--non-temperance men, men
of antagonistic political views, men who winced at the narrowness of
the line drawn by their pastor--a line that shut out the very breath
of dishonesty from the true Church of Christ--men and women who were
honest and earnest and _petty_--who were not called on enough, or
bowed to enough, or consulted enough, or ten thousand other
pettinesses, too small or too _mean_ to be advanced as excuses, and
so were hidden behind the general and vague one that, on the whole,
Dr. Selmser didn't seem to "draw;" the "young people" thought him
severe or solemn or _something_; his sermons were not "just the
thing--did not quite come up to the standard," whatever that may
mean.

So the ball grew--grew so large that one day it rolled toward the
parsonage in the shape of a letter, carefully phrased, conciliatory,
soothing--meant to be; "every confidence in his integrity and
kindness of heart and good intentions," and every other virtue under
the sun. But, well, the fact was the "young people" did not feel
quite satisfied, and they felt that, on the whole, by and by, toward
spring, perhaps, or when he had had time to look around him and
determine what to do, a _change_ would be for the best, both, for
himself and for the cause. Indeed, they were persuaded that he
himself needed a change--his nervous system imperatively demanded it.

Let me tell you what particular day that letter found its way to the
parsonage: a rainy, dreary day in the early winter, when the ground
had not deliberately frozen over, and things generally settled down
to good solid winter weather,