her go. "Oh, mother,"
he whispered, "do you think I can be brave?"

"Yes, my boy," her voice rang out again confident and clear. "It always
makes us brave to know that He bore the cross for us and died rather
than betray us."

There were no more words between them, but the memory of that night
never faded from the boy's mind. A new standard of heroism was set up
within his soul which he might fail to reach but which he could never
lower.

CHAPTER III

THE ESCUTCHEON CLEARED

Mr. Michael Gwynne, the Mapleton storekeeper, was undoubtedly the most
popular man not in the village only but in the whole township. To begin
with he was a man of high character, which was sufficiently guaranteed
by the fact that he was chosen as Rector's Warden in All Saints
Episcopal Church. He was moreover the Rector's right-hand man, ready to
back up any good cause with personal effort, with a purse always open
but not often full, and with a tongue that was irresistible, for he had
to an extraordinary degree the gift of persuasive speech. Therefore,
the Rector's first move in launching any new scheme was to secure the
approval and co-operation of his Warden.

By the whole community too Mr. Gwynne was recognised as a gentleman, a
gentleman not in appearance and bearing only, a type calculated to
repel plain folk, but a gentleman in heart, with a charm of manner which
proceeded from a real interest in and consideration for the welfare
of others. This charm of manner proved a valuable asset to him in his
business, for behind his counter Mr. Gwynne had a rare gift of investing
the very calicoes and muslins which he displayed before the dazzled eyes
of the ladies who came to buy with a glamour that never failed to make
them appear altogether desirable; and even the hard-headed farmers fell
under this spell of his whether he described to them the superexcellent
qualities of a newly patented cream separator or the virtues of a new
patent medicine for ailing horses whose real complaint was overwork or
underfeeding. With all this, moreover, Mr. Gwynne was rigidly honest. No
one ever thought of disputing an account whether he paid it or not, and
truth demands that with Mr. Gwynne's customers the latter course was
more frequently adopted.

It was at this point that Mr. Gwynne failed of success as a business
man. He could buy with discrimination, he had a rare gift of
salesmanship, but as a collector, in the words of Sam Cheatley, the
vill