"'When I was building the wall in the church,' I said, 'I went out for a few boards. In that time you were in the church and took the communion set.'
"He did not look at me, Alvin; he just sat there.
"'What would I do with a communion set?' he said after a while to me.
"'I do not know what you would do with it,' I said back to him, 'but you have it. You took it. God will punish you like Ananias.'
"Then, Alvin—" William laid a hand on his son's shrinking arm. "He went to the preacher, and the preacher came to me and said I must be quiet. That the preacher said to me! Then I went to church and prayed out loud before all the people that God would punish the wicked. I did not mention any names, Alvin; I obeyed the preacher in that! But God did not punish him. Everything gets better and better for him all the time. Now, I will punish him, Alvin, and you will help me. I have paid a lot to detectives, but I have not yet enough. He must be watched; we must have proof. I cannot save so much any more because I have not so much work. Now, if you work at the furnace you will make a dollar a day. It will take all we can earn, Alvin, all. I did without things that I need; I have saved all I can, but I cannot save enough."
William broke off suddenly. The room was quite dark; where no light was needed, none was made in William Koehler's house. William rose and went stumbling about and lit the lamp, the lamp which Katy saw gleaming against the dark side of the mountain. In its light poor William gazed at his son with yearning. He seemed now perfectly sane.
Then William spoke in a hollow, astonished voice, the lamp rattling in his hand.
"Don't you believe he took it, Alvin?"
"Why, no," stammered Alvin. "What would he want with it?"