, it will teach him, when he's preaching for
the Lord, to remember that Mammon isn't always quite so black as he is
painted."

And so, on top of Reed Opdyke's other interests, Professor Mansfield
laid the burden of Scott Brenton's worldly training. In pointing out
the need of it to Opdyke, however, the old professor had been by no
means as downright as he seemed. From above his lecture notes and his
blowpipes, he kept keen eyes upon the members of his classes. Watching
Scott steadily, in those days which followed upon the boy's bitter
disappointment, he had seen new lines graving themselves about his
lips, lines of decision now, not of worried mal-nutrition, lines that
too easily might shape themselves to wilfulness. Scott, recluse that he
had been, had also been as steady as a deacon; but the old professor
realized that a reaction might come at almost any instant. One outlet,
and that the highest one, forbidden him, he might seek other, lower
ones in sheer bravado. Forbidden to climb into the Tree of Knowledge of
all Good, he might, in revenge, fall greedily upon the Apples of Sodom.
Left to himself, no one knew what harpies he might chance upon as
comrades, nor what sights they might show him. To prevent all that, to
provide him with an outlet which should be as wholesome as it was fresh
and sparkling, the professor had given him into the safe hands of Reed
Opdyke. It was as he said: he was quite well aware that, although Reed
had his sirens, they all were curiously clean ones; in short, that his
young Mammon was nobler far than many a senile God.

CHAPTER SIX

As a matter of course, Catie came to Scott's commencement. Had she
answered sincerely to any questions put to her, she would have
confessed to a two-fold purpose: the showing off of her proprietorship
in Scott, and the showing off of her pair of new frocks, the most
elaborate achievements as yet attempted by the village dressmaker. It
must be confessed, however, that Catie found both of these deeds a
little disillusioning. Scott was so busy in so many ways that he seemed
to Catie to spare her only the smaller fragments of his time; and her
two new gowns, which at home had been tried on amid the plaudits of the
girl friends bidden to the private view, sank into insignificance
beside the round dozen or more frocks which each of the other
commencement guests was wearing in bewildering succession. To be sure,
Catie's gowns had the most trimming on them;