was waiting to see if she faltered in her decision.

She raised her head and looked Mr. Forbes squarely in the eyes.

"I thank you, sir, for your offer," she said, as calmly as she could,
"but I would rather die than do anything I considered wrong, and this
act of yours is both wicked and unjust! God will punish you for your
cruelty to that poor Miss Jennings!"

She turned and walked toward the door, leaving Mr. Forbes and Mr.
Watkins both staring after her.




CHAPTER II.

A HUMBLE BEGINNING.


It was the second time that the young girl had succeeded in startling
the superintendent, but this time she had accomplished far more than she
knew, for her few words fell upon the brain of the business man with a
significance that for a moment almost overcame him. Under favorable
conditions far less thrilling words than these have taken root and
yielded a bountiful harvest, but the time for this man's awakening was
at hand. His only son, a youth of nineteen, was lying critically ill at
home, and, while Mr. Forbes was worldly, he was also unusually
superstitious, and her words, "God will punish you," rang in his ears
like a blast from a trumpet.