"Father, I must speak!"

"Do you dare disobey me?"

"Yes! for my mother's life depends upon my speaking. Let me speak this
once on this subject, and I will agree never to mention Christian
Science to you again unless you wish it."

The pastor's anger had been rising, but when Walter said his mother's
life depended on his speaking, every particle of color left his face,
and the anger vanished at once. He looked at Walter and saw he was
dreadfully in earnest, so he said, "Speak this once, I will hear you."

"Father it was through the reading of 'Science and Health' that I was
healed of the dread disease that is even now threatening the life of
my mother; and as soon as I was convinced of the truth of this teaching
I called upon a practitioner, asking her for advice regarding my
mother's illness and asked her to give mother treatment. I did this
without your consent, as I knew how prejudiced you both were regarding
this subject, but the practitioner kindly told me she would not treat
mother without her consent. And I knew mother would never consent to
take treatment if you were opposed to it, so I felt I must gain your
consent first. The practitioner would be pleased to come and talk with
you on this subject at any time."

"No doubt of it, but I will have nothing to do with Christian Science."

"Oh, father, don't say that; you must be even more prejudiced than I
thought."