Rev. Mr. Burgess rose and laid his hand on the
sack, he could hear his microbes gnaw, the place was so still. He
related the curious history of the sack, then went on to speak in
warm terms of Hadleyburg's old and well-earned reputation for spotless
honesty, and of the town's just pride in this reputation. He said that
this reputation was a treasure of priceless value; that under Providence
its value had now become inestimably enhanced, for the recent episode
had spread this fame far and wide, and thus had focussed the eyes of the
American world upon this village, and made its name for all time, as
he hoped and believed, a synonym for commercial incorruptibility.
(Applause.) "And who is to be the guardian of this noble fame--the
community as a whole? No! The responsibility is individual, not
communal. From this day forth each and every one of you is in his own
person its special guardian, and individually responsible that no harm
shall come to it. Do you--does each of you--accept this great trust?
(Tumultuous assent.) Then all is well. Transmit it to your children and
to your children's children. To-day your purity is beyond reproach--see
to it that it shall remain so. To-day there is not a person in your
community who could be beguiled to touch a penny not his own--see to
it that you abide in this grace. ("We will! we will!") This is not the
place to make comparisons between ourselves and other communities--some
of them ungracious towards us; they have their ways, we have ours; let
us be content. (Applause.) I am done. Under my hand, my friends, rests
a stranger's eloquent recognition of what we are; through him the world
will always henceforth know what we are. We do not know who he is, but
in your name I utter your gratitude, and ask you to raise your voices in
indorsement."

The house rose in a body and made the walls quake with the thunders of
its thankfulness for the space of a long minute. Then it sat down,
and Mr. Burgess took an envelope out of his pocket. The house held its
breath while he slit the envelope open and took from it a slip of paper.
He read its contents--slowly and impressively--the audience listening
with tranced attention to this magic document, each of whose words stood
for an ingot of gold:

"'The remark which I made to the distressed stranger was this: "You are
very far from being a bad man; go, and reform."' Then he continued:--'We
shall know in a moment now whether the remark here quoted c