"Why, Helen knows them all," answered Gifford in his slow way, looking
down at the girl's impulsive face.

"Lois," said her father, "you are too emphatic in your way of speaking;
be more mild. I don't like gush."

"Lois punctuates with exclamation points," Gifford explained
good-naturedly, meaning to take the sting out of Dr. Howe's reproof,
but hurting her instead.

"But, bless my soul," said the rector, "what does Helen say to this sort
of talk?"

"I don't think she says anything, at least to him;" Gifford answered. "It
is so unimportant to Helen, she is so perfectly satisfied with Ward, his
opinions are of no consequence. She did fire up, though, about Davis,"
and then he told the story of Elder Dean and Helen's angry protest.

Dr. Howe listened, first with grave disapproval, and then with positive
irritation.

"Dean," Gifford concluded, "has taken it very much to heart; he told
me--he's a client of mine, a stupid idiot, who never reasoned a thing out
in his life--he told me that 'not to believe in eternal damnation was to
take a short cut to atheism.' He also confided to me that 'a church which
could permit such a falling from the faith was in a diseased condition.'
I don't believe that opinion has reached Ward, however. It would take
more grit than Dean possesses to dare to find fault with John Ward's wife
to her husband."