tience with women who set up their own Ebenezers. A woman should be in
subjection to her own husband, I say,--and so does St. Paul. In my young
days we were taught to love, honor, and obey. Helen needs to be reminded
of her duty, and I'll see that she is."

"Well, I wish you success," said the rector grimly.

"And I'll have it!" Mrs. Dale retorted.

"But you don't take into consideration," Dr. Howe said, "that Helen will
not say one thing when she thinks another. How can you change a person's
belief? I have been all over it, Adele. It is perfectly useless!"

The brother and sister looked at each other a moment silently; then Mrs.
Dale said, "Well, if you ask my advice"--

"I didn't; there's no use. Helen will be her own adviser, you can depend
upon that. I only just wanted you to know the facts. No outsider can
direct the affairs of a man and woman who are entirely determined."

"I am not an outsider," returned Mrs. Dale, "though you can call yourself
one, if you choose. And I am going to give you advice, and I hope you'll
be sensible enough to take it. You have just got to go and see this Mr.
Ward, and tell him he must take Helen back; tell him we cannot have such
things in our family. A wife separated from her husband,--why, good
gracious, just think of it, Archibald!"

"Do you suppose I haven't thought of it?" demanded the rector.

"And Helen must go," continued Mrs. Dale, "belief or no belief."

Her brother shook his head, and sighed.

"I don't believe it will do any good for me to see him, but of course
I shall go to Lockhaven unless I get a favorable answer to my letter.
I wrote him yesterday. But do you imagine that any talk of our feelings
is going to move a man like Ward? His will is like iron. I saw that in
his letter to Helen. I suppose it pains him to do this. I suppose he does
suffer, in a way. But if he can contemplate her distress unmoved, do you
think anything I can urge will change him? He'll wait for her conversion,
if it takes her whole life."

"But Helen has been confirmed," said Mrs. Dale, in a bewildered way;
"what more does he want?"

"He wants her to be converted, I tell you," cried her brother, "and he's
bound to bring it about! He uses the illustration of giving medicine to a
sick child to insure its recovery, no matter at what cost of pain to the
child or the giver."

"But isn't it the same thing?" persisted Mrs. Dale:
"converted--confirmed? We don't use such expressions in the C