book? I should like to know that first."

"He said it was an epistle written by Paul the Apostle to somebody--I
can't just remember whom."

"Who was he?"

"Why, he was one of the saints, wasn't he?"

"I don't know. There's no mention of him in my book."

David looked like a man stopped unexpectedly in rapid career. "You
always want to know so much about every thing!" he said, rubbing his
face on his sleeve, as he had a habit of doing when puzzled. "Now I
never thought to ask that."

"But before I can act on a message from my superior, I must surely
satisfy myself as to the credentials of the messenger. However, let us
hear the message. Perhaps that may tell us something. Some things bear
on their faces the evidence of what they are--still more of what they
are not."

"Well, what he read was this: `If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' And `Look you,' saith he, `there
isn't a word here of any body else.' `If thou shalt confess' Him--not
the saints, nor the images, nor the Church, nor the priest. `Baptism,'
saith he, `is confessing Him.' Then he turned over some leaves, and
read a bit from another place, how our Lord said, `Come unto Me, all
ye--'"

Countess's eyes lighted up suddenly. "That's in my book. `All ye that
travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.'"

"That's it. And says he, `He does not say, "Come to the Church or the
priest," but "Come to Me."' `Well,' says I, `but how can you do one
without the other?' `You may come to the priest easy enough, and never
come to Christ,' saith he, `so it's like to be as easy to come to Christ
without the priest.' `Well, but,' says I, `priests doesn't say so.'
`No,' says he; `they don't'--quite short like. `But for all I can see
in this book,' says he, `He does.'"

"Go on!" said Countess eagerly, when David paused.

"Well, then--I hope you'll excuse me if I said more than I should--says
I to him, `Now look here, Father: suppose you had somebody coming to you
for advice, that had been a Jew like me, and was ready to believe in our
Lord, but could not put up with images and such, would you turn him away
because he could not believe enough, or would you baptise him?' `I
would baptise him,' saith he. Then he turns over the book again, and
reads: `"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
That is what the Apost