t had never occurred to him that the
love of parent to child, and child to parent, is quite independent of
creed.

"But, my dear," he said, "you have been baptized."

"I have."

"You promised to renounce the devil and all his works."

"I did."

"Then how can you hesitate to renounce everything connected with your
former life?"

"Do you mean to imply that my father is the devil or one of his works?"

Mr. Fane-Smith was silent. Erica continued:

"God's Fatherhood does not depend on our knowledge of it, or acceptance
of it, it is a fact a truth! How then can any one dare to say that such
a man as my farther is a work of the devil? I thought the sin of sins
was to attribute to the devil what belongs to God!"

"You are in a very peculiar position," said Mr. Fane-Smith, uneasily.
"And I have no doubt it is difficult for you to see things as they
really are. But I, who can look at the matter dispassionately, can see
that your remaining in your old home would be most dangerous, and not
only that, but most painful! To live in a house where you hear all that
you most reverence evil spoken of; why, the pain would be unspeakable!"

"I know that," said Erica, in a low voice, "I have found that I admit
that it is and always will be harder to bear than any one can conceive
who has not tried. But to shirk pain is not to follow Christ. As to
danger, if you will forgive my saying so, I should find a luxurious life
in a place like Greyshot infinitely more trying."

"Then could you not take up nursing? Or go into some sisterhood? Nothing
extreme, you know, but just a working sisterhood."

Erica smiled, and shook her head.

"Why should I try to make another vocation when God has already given me
one?"

"But, my dear, consider the benefit to your own soul."

"A very secondary consideration!" exclaimed Erica, impetuously.

"I should have thought," continued Mr. Fane-Smith, "that under such
strange circumstances you would have seen how necessary it was to
forsake all. Think of St. Matthew, for instance; he rose up at once,
forsook all, and followed Him."

"Yes," said Erica. "And what was the very first thing he was impelled to
do by way of 'following?' Why, to make a great feast and have in all his
old friends, all the despised publicans."

"My dear Erica," said Mr. Fane-Smith, feeling his theological arguments
worsted, "we must discuss this matter on practical grounds. In plain
words, your father is a very bad man, and