parson knew exactly what, to do when the soul travailed and cried
aloud. He stretched forth his hands, and put them on the young man's
shoulders.

"Come, poor sinner, come!" he urged, in a voice of wonderful melting
quality. "Come! Here is the throne of grace! Bring your burden, and
cast it down."

The words roused Elvin, or possibly the restraining touch. He started
back.

"I can't!" he cried out, stridently. "I can't yet! I can't! I can't!"

Still leading Rosa, who was crying now in good earnest, he turned, and
pushed his way out of the crowd. But once outside that warm human
circuit, Rosa broke loose from him. She tried to speak for his ear
alone, but her voice strove petulantly through her sobs:

"Elvin Drew, I should think you'd be ashamed of yourself! You've made
me ridiculous before the whole town, and I never'll speak to you again
as long as I live. If I hadn't stayed with you every minute, I should
think you'd been drinking, and I believe to my soul you have!" She
buried her face in her handkerchief, and stumbled over to a table where
Laura Pettis was standing, open-eyed with amazement, and the two
clasped each other, while Rosa cried on. Elvin only looked about him,
in a bewildered fashion, when the warm hand was wrenched away; then,
realizing that he was quite alone, his head bent under a deeper
dejection. He seemed unable to move from the spot, and stood there
quite stupidly, until murmurs of "What's the matter of him?" came from
the waiting crowd, and Parson True himself advanced, with hands again