The bishop, relieved to see the conversation drifting into calmer waters,
accepted the second cup and the change of topic with equal satisfaction.
His specialty was ministering to the sorrows of the very rich, but he
preferred to confine his spiritual visits to the early part of the
afternoon, leaving the latter part free for tea-drinking and the
ecclesiastical gossip so dear to his heart.

"Well," he said, leaning back luxuriously in his deep willow chair,
"we carried our point after some difficulty. Too many of our good
directors take refuge in the old excuse that charity should begin at
home. It should, my dear Elise, but as I have said before, it should
not end there!"

Having delivered himself of this original observation, the bishop helped
himself to another sandwich.

"The special object of my present visit," he said, "aside from the
pleasure it always gives me to be in your delightful home, is to interest
you and your good husband in a mission we are starting in Mukden, a most
ungodly place, I fear, in Manchuria. A thousand dollars from Mr. Clarke
at this time would be most acceptable, and I shall leave it to you, my
dear lady, to put the matter before him, with all the tact and persuasion
for which you are so justly noted."

Mrs. Clarke smiled wearily.

"I will do what I can, Bishop. But I hate to burden him with one more
demand. Since he has bought these two new factories, he is simply worked
to death. I get so cross with all the unreasonable demands the employees