souls and uplifting a little corner of the universe while you were
writing a great book; but it was quite another for us to allow our
gifted young daughter to know no other life. And especially she harped
on Lynn's friendship with Mark. She called him a hobbledehoy, said his
mother was 'common', and that coming from a home like that, he would
never amount to anything or have an education. He would always be
common and loaferish, and it wouldn't make any difference if he did, he
would never be cultured no matter how much education he had. He was not
in her _class_. She kept saying that over. She said a lot of things
and always ended up with that. And finally she said that we were
perfectly crazy, both of us. That she supposed Lynn thought she was
christianizing the boy or something, but it was dangerous business, and
we ought to be warned. And Graham, _I'm afraid Mark heard it!_ He
was just coming up on the porch as she finished and I'm almost sure he
heard it!"

The eyes of the minister gave a startled flicker and then grew
comprehending. "I wondered why he gave up college after he had worked
so hard to get in."

"But Graham! Surely, if he had heard he would have wanted to show her
that she was wrong."

"No, Mary. He is not built that way. It's his one big fault. Always to
be what he thinks people have labeled him, or to seem to be. To be that
in defiance, knowing in his heart he really isn't that at all. It's a
curious psychological study. It makes me think of nothing else but when
the Prince of the Power of the Air wanted to be God. Mark wants to be a
young God. When he finds he's not taken that way he makes himself look
like the devil in defiance. Don't you remember, Mary, how when Bob