d three. They didn't seem to go
very well with the pick-me-up. I assure you--"

"Stop," said Father Rowley. "The only assurance of any value to me will
be your behaviour in the future."

"Oh, then I'm not to leave this morning?" Mr. Mousley gasped with open
mouth.

"Where would you go if you left here?"

"Well, to tell you the truth," Mr. Mousley admitted, "I have been rather
worried over that little problem ever since I woke up this morning. I
scarcely expected that you would tolerate my presence any longer in this
house. You will excuse me, Father Rowley, but I am rather overwhelmed
for the moment by your kindness. I scarcely know how to express what I
feel. I have usually found people so very impatient of my weakness. Do
you seriously mean I needn't go away this morning?"

"You have already been sufficiently punished, I hope," said the
Missioner, "by the humiliations you have inflicted on yourself both
outside and inside this house."

"My thoughts are always humiliating," said Mr. Mousley. "I think perhaps
that nowadays these humiliating thoughts are my chief temptation to
drink. Since I have been here and shared in your hospitality I have felt
more sharply than ever my disgrace. I have several times been on the
point of asking you to let me be given some kind of work, but I have
always been too much ashamed when it came to the point to express my
aspirations in words."

"Only yesterday afternoon," said Father Rowley, "I wrote to the Bishop
of Warwick, who has continued to interest himself in you notwithstanding
the many occasions you have disappointed him, yes, I wrote to the Bishop
of Warwick to say that since you came to St. Agnes' your behaviour had
justified my suggesting that you should once again be allowed to say
Mass."

"You wrote that yesterday afternoon?" Mr. Mousley exclaimed. "And the
instant afterwards I went out and got drunk?"

"You mean you took a pick-me-up and two glasses of beer," corrected
Father Rowley.

"No, no, no, it wasn't a pick-me-up. I went out and got drunk on brandy
quite deliberately."

Father Rowley looked quickly across at Mark, who hastily left the two
priests together. He divined from the Missioner's quick glance that he
was going to hear Mr. Mousley's confession. A week later Mr. Mousley
asked Mark if he would serve at Mass the next morning.

"It may seem an odd request," he said, "but inasmuch as you have seen
the depths to which I can sink, I want you equally to