ut on the street he broached the
subject:

"What's the little old idea, old man? Are you a sort of grand mogul or
high priest or something to this mob? And what do you get out of it?"

Allison turned and looked solemnly at him through the dark, and
answered with a kind of glow in his voice that seemed to lighten his
face and puzzled the questioner more than all that had gone before:

"I'm just one of them, son, and it happens to be my turn just now to
be presiding officer; but I get out of it more than I ever got out of
anything in life before."

"Oh!" said Clive inanely, quite at a loss to know what he meant.

"I never knew before that people could know God personally, be His pal
sort of, you know, and work with Him, and it's been GREAT!" added
Allison.

"Oh!" said Clive once more, quite weakly, not knowing what else to
say, and they walked on for almost a block without speaking another
word. Clive was thinking that certainly Allison had changed, as that
unmannerly chump on the train had said. Changed most perplexingly and
peculiarly. But Allison had forgotten almost that Clive was there. He
was thinking over some good news he had to tell Jane about a protege
of hers who had taken a shy part in the meeting, and wondering if he
could get away for a few minutes to run up and tell her or if it would
be better to call her up on the 'phone.

Howard Letchworth had not come home with them. He had whispered a
hurried excuse to Allison about someone he had to see up at college
before they left for the city, and hurried away at the close of the
meeting, and Leslie with a choking feeling in her throat and burning
tears held back from her eyes by mighty effort, announced to Allison
that she wasn't coming home just now, she was going to stay for a
little after prayer meeting the Lookout Committee were having. She
would walk home with the Martins, who went right by their door. For
Leslie was done with Clive Terrence and she wanted him to understand
it. So Clive was landed at home with Julia Cloud for companion, who
had not gone to church on account of staying to nurse Cherry, who had
taken a bad cold and needed medicine. Allison hurried away to give
Jane her message, and there was nothing for Clive to do but to go to
bed and resolve never to spend another Sunday in such boredom. For he
"couldn't see" hobnobbing with an "old woman," as he called Julia
Cloud, the way the others seemed entirely willing to do. What was she
anyw