helps those who help themselves, remember, and I owe it to my son,
Sir Walter, and you owe it to your daughter Mary first, and the
community also, to take such steps as Heaven, through me, has
now directed."

They were for a moment struck dumb by this extraordinary assertion
and demand. A thousand objections leaped to the lips of the elder
men, and Mr. Prodgers, a devout young Christian of poor physique
but great spiritual courage, found himself as interested by this
fearless demand of faith as the others were alarmed by it.

Sir Walter spoke.

"We know it is so, May. None recognizes our obligations, both to
the living and the dead, more acutely than I do. A very famous
man of European reputation will be here to-morrow, and if you, too,
desire a representative, you have only got to say so."

"I desire no representative armed with material craft or knowledge
of criminal procedure. I am my own representative, and I come
armed with greater power than any you can command on earth, Sir
Walter. I mean my Maker's response to my prayer. I must spend
the night in that room, and cannot leave Chadlands until I have
done so. I trust to no human expedient or precaution, for such
things would actually disarm me; but my faith is in the God I have
served to the best of my power from my youth up. I entertain not
the least shadow of fear or doubt. To fear or doubt would be to
fail. I rely absolutely on the Supreme Being who has permitted
this unspeakable sorrow to fall upon us, and there is no living
man less likely than myself to fall a victim to the unknown spirit