will be able to judge for yourself. I do not hesitate to say that I
consider his influence, especially with the young people, of a most
dangerous kind. For a long time, you know, he and his wife were quite
ostracised--not so much because of their low origin as because of their
religious opinions. But of late years even good Christians appear
disposed to be friendly with them. Money, you know--money carries all
things before it."

"Yes, that is too often the case."

"Well, I don't say that Toyner doesn't hold up a certain standard of
morality among the young men of the place, but it's a pretty low one;
and he has them all under his influence. There isn't a young fellow that
walks these streets, whether the son of clergyman or beggar, who is not
free to go to that man's house every evening and have the run of his
rooms and his books. And Toyner and his wife will sit down and play
cards with them; or they'll get in a lot of girls, and have a dance, or
theatricals,--the thin end of the wedge, you know, the thin end of the
wedge! And all the young men go to his house, except a few that we've
got in our Christian Association."

The speaker was stricter in his views than I saw cause to be; but then,
I knew something of his life; he was giving it day by day to save the
men of whom he was talking. He had a better right than I to know what
was best for them.

"When you have a thorough-going man of the world," he said, "every one
knows what that means, and there's not so much harm done. But this Mr.
Toyner is always talking about God, and using his influence to make
people pray to God. Such men are not ready to pray until they are