"Do you know him?"

Earnest eyes, raised to his face, fixed steadily on his face, while the
questioner waited quietly for an answer.

Policeman Duffer was embarrassed now; he was not used to being
confronted with such matter-of-fact questions.

"Do I know him?" with a confused little laugh. "Why, I reckon not,
ma'am; according to the popular notion he is too far away for folks to
be well acquainted."

"Then popular notion is mistaken, for I know him very well indeed; and
he is by no means far away. But what I meant was, Have you studied
his life and character, and do you fully understand the arguments for
believing in him?"

"I study the folks who profess to belong to him, ma'am, and I find that
about as much as I can stand."

This was said with a saucy little laugh, and with the air of a man who
believed he had produced an unanswerable argument. The steady eyes did
not move from his face, and the voice which answered him had lost none
of its quietness:--

"But do you think it is wise to spend your time in studying the
imperfect copies, without looking at the perfect pattern? You would not
take the child's careless imitation as a proof that his teacher could
not write. I thank you for helping me to-day. I wish you would help my
boys when you can; and I wish you would study my Master instead of me.