of others,--or whether to be tended and grow to the highest, as
flowers grow with light and air and water."

"What has that got to do with the case?" asked Mr. Medlicott,
tapping his foot uneasily.

"Everything," went on the Russian, mildly, "you, I believe, are a
priest, and therefore should be better able to expound your
Deity's meaning than I, a layman--but you have evidently not the
same point of view--mine is always to look at the facts of a case
denuded of prejudice--because the truth is the thing to aim at--"

"You would suggest that I am not aiming at the truth," the
clergyman interrupted, trembling now with anger, so that he
fiercely grasped the back of a high chair, "your words are
preposterous, sir."

"Not at all," Count Roumovski continued. "Look frankly at things;
you have just announced that you would constitute yourself judge
of what is for Miss Rawson's salvation."

"Leave her name out, I insist," the other put in hotly.

"To be concrete, unfortunately, I cannot do so," the Russian said.
"I must speak of this lady we are both interested in--pray, try to
listen to me calmly, sir, for we are here for the settling of a
matter which concerns the happiness of our three lives."

"I do not admit for a moment that you have the right to speak at
all," Mr. Medlicott returned, but his adversary went on quietly.