CHAPTER X.

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot."

R. CHESTER ELLIOT and the Rev.
Mr. Tresevant selected the same evening

in which to call on Dell. It was not by any means Mr. Elliot's first call; he had seemed anxious to atone for the neglect of his sister, and had been very cordial and courteous in his attentions. The talk had been on general topics and had been decidedly enjoyable, until a slight pause occurred, when Dell suddenly turned to Mr. Elliot

"By the way, we are in need of your assistance, Mr. Elliot; why don't you join our temperance society?"

He laughed good-humoredly, and answered carelessly—

"I am afraid you wouldn't admit me."

"We certainly would, and be glad to do so. We only ask you to sign the total abstinence pledge; that constitutes membership."

"Whether it is kept or not, Miss Bronson?" said Mr. Tresevant.

Something peculiar in the minister's voice or manner annoyed Dell, and she answered, with a heightened color and some haughti

ness

"Of course we believe that our members sign in good faith, with intent to keep their promises."

“Which, nevertheless, and unfortunately, sometimes they fail to do. What then?"

"Then happens just what happens in other matters when people fail to keep their promises, they lower themselves in their own estimation and in that of others."

"And do you consider a man better or worse, because of a broken pledge?"

Dell's eyes flashed. "Do you consider a man better or worse, who pledges himself to the Church of Christ and then, as unfortunately many do, breaks his pledge ?"

"Worse, decidedly," Mr. Tresevant answered, composedly.

"And do you, therefore, try to deter a man from uniting with the Church lest he may sometime in the future break his promises?"

Mr. Tresevant fidgeted a little in his chair and toyed with the top of his cane.

"I do not, of course," he said, at last. "But

I need not remind you, Miss Bronson, that the cases are not parallel; that when a person desires to unite with the Church, we trust he leans upon the Divine Arm for strength and there is therefore little danger of his falling. Whereas in the matter of a total abstinence pledge it is merely a compact between man and his own weak will."

"I didn't know it," Dell answered, gravely. "I supposed that every attempt on our part to do right was an evidence of the guiding of the Divine Arm. I imagined that our own weak wills, left to themselves, did not so much as conceive of a right desire."

Mr. Elliot turned with a half-amused, halfearnest air toward his pastor:

"That is the theology that you preach, is it not, sir?" he asked, respectfully.

"In general terms, yes," Mr. Tresevant answered, smiling, "but Miss Bronson has very naturally confused the two points."

"I don't in the least understand what you mean," Dell said, frankly. "But I just want to say, that I have a higher opinion even of our weak human wills than you seem to have. If Mr. Elliot should promise to pay me a certain sum of money, on a certain day, and should sign a note to that effect, I must say I should be inclined to think he would do it;

but I didn't mean to open a discussion on temperance, but only to ask why he didn't join our society?"

"Now, I thought we had thrown you off your track," said that gentleman, gayly. "And, behold, here you are at the very same station. Well, the truth is, if I must confess it, I don't think I am prepared to keep the pledge. I should have no objections to signing it, if I thought it at all probable that I should keep it for twenty-four hours."

"I am sorry you have so little confidence in your own strength of purpose," Dell said, dryly.

"No, you mistake; it is not strength of purpose that is needed, but inclination. You see I have never been converted to the theory of total abstinence."

"Oh," Dell said, very coldly. "If you had the misfortune to live where I do, you would be a speedy convert, I fancy; and I should suppose that one day spent at your father's factory would be likely to have the same effect."

"That is just the point on which we should differ. If you temperance reformers would confine your efforts to the lower classes, I should be with you heartily, and I think you might do a vast deal of good; but I can not

see the use of fettering the world because a few poor wretches abuse their privileges."

Dell's lip curled just a little, and she spoke rapidly:

"Do you believe what you are saying, Mr. Elliot? How long do you suppose it would be necessary for you to talk temperance according to your fashion to Pat Hughes, for instance? I believe he is one of your father's men. Suppose you try it; tell him liquor is a very improper article for him to use; that he belongs to the lower classes, and, therefore, can not control his appetite, and that he ought by all means to sign the pledge; but that you, being made of different dust from himself, shall continue the moderate use of liquor; when would you expect to see him a reformed man?"

Mr. Elliot shrugged his handsome shoulders. "I shall expect the millennium to come before even you can reform poor Pat, with any sort of temperance effort whatever; but I don't have to carry Pat's conscience, you know. It is enough for me to look after my

own."

"Oh! then it resolves itself into the old argument, 'Am I my brother's keeper? The Christian standpoint would be, that you were bound to make every effort in your power to