"What is that?"

"Such an aid would be a direct act of rebellion against authority
on my part, which would be severely punished. Of course," he
asserted, with conscious righteousness, "I should not consider that
for a moment as far ay my own personal safety is concerned. But my
cause would suffer. You forget, sir, that we are doing here a
great and good work. We have in our weekly congregational singing
over forty regular attendants from the aborigines; next year I hope
to build a church at Whale River, thus reaching the benighted
inhabitants of that distant region. All of this is a vital matter
in the service of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You suggest
that I endanger all this in order to right a single instance of
injustice. Of course we are told to love one another, but--" he
paused.

"You have to compromise," finished the stranger for him.

"Exactly." said the Reverend Crane. "Thank you; it is exactly
that. In order to accomplish what little good the Lord vouchsafes
to our poor efforts, we are obliged to overlook many things.
Otherwise we should not be allowed to stay here at all."

"That is most interesting," agreed Ned Trent, with a rather biting
calm. "But is it not a little calculating? My slight familiarity
with religious history and literature has always led me to believe
that you are taught to embrace the right at any cost
whatsoever--that, if you give yourself unreservedly to justice, the
Lord will sustain you through all trials. I think at a pinch I
could even quote a text to that effect."