“Social well-being, industrial thrift, active consciences—let us place these in the corner-stone of the new structure. Religion has been ‘set apart’ too long; so long, indeed, that within its doors have crept the monsters of greed, gold-worship, and place-hunting, until its higher and holier meanings have been well-nigh crowded out. What, indeed, does man want of a religion that does not permeate every hope, desire, and action of life? We must bring it down from its idealized height and make it common as the air we breathe and the bread we eat. Then indeed may man, glancing upward, behold the dawn of a new and happier day!”
It was a day or two later that Herbert and Elsie were at the organ trying a new piece of music, which accidentally slipping from its rack fell behind the organ as it stood diagonally across the room. In rolling the organ out Elsie discovered a market basket full of groceries hidden in the corner.
“Where in the world did that basket come from, and what a strange place to put it!” cried Elsie in amazement. As she glanced at Herbert his flushed, uneasy face told the whole story.
“I am exceedingly obliged to your estimate of us as objects of charity!” she exclaimed, placing the basket in the middle of the room, and standing over it with the air of a queen of tragedy.
Herbert could not forbear a laugh, and there was a trifle of malice in the tone with which he said: “It seems to me there is a striking conflict of ideas between the democracy you preach and practice at the Children’s Home Meetings I hear so much about, and the aristocracy of pride you practice at home and toward those whom you ought to trust.”
Elsie winced under the home thrust, and with the quickness with which she could judge herself, answered contritely: “I know I am proud, Herbert; but I think it is an honorable pride. At least so I have always considered pride of character, and it always did hurt when anything struck at my independence. It isn’t as if I were sick, or incapable, or——”
“Exhibited a proper humility of spirit, instead of an obstinate and irritating pride,” interrupted Herbert.
“Am I irritating?” asked Elsie simply. “In what way?”
“In ever so many ways,” answered Herbert, evidently bent on fault-finding. “I seem to count but a cipher in your estimation beside some of these overmastering ideas of yours. If I exhibit a generous motive toward you, you smother it——”
“In kisses,” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck and proceeding to stop further explanation. “Herbert Lynn,” she added, drawing a long breath after the bit of violent exercise above recorded, “you’re a most ungrateful man! Now don’t bluster, for it won’t do one bit of good. I’m going to tell you something new. I love you more than any man in the world—that is, any I’ve met so far! Keep still! and I’m going to do an exceedingly generous action; I’m going to keep the groceries, and drop you a courtesy of the properly humble kind, and say, ‘Thank you kindly, sir! May heaven’s blessings shower——’ Why, what is the matter? You won’t even wait for the proper ending of the performance.”