"I could never give Luke a hint. No, I must tell him out right if it has to be done. But it will pain him dreadfully; and to happen just now when he is so pressed with work."
"I am so sorry about it," said Mrs. Stone; and as she left she wondered if she had acted wisely by talking over the difficulty with Rachel. It might have been better to have told Mrs. Greville senior. However, she remembered the threat of the men of the choir to leave en bloc, and she felt that to be taken by surprise in that way would probably have caused more pain both to Rachel and her husband than if they were prepared for what might happen.
When Luke came in tired and a little depressed about a meeting at which he had been, Rachel was silent about Mrs. Stone's information. She felt it would be cruel to tell her husband what she had heard when he was so played out. Neither did he give her any information as to the cause of his depression. He buried himself in a book till eleven o'clock, when Rachel went to bed. Then he arose and made his way into his study.
But the next morning Rachel noticed that at breakfast he was in good spirits so she ventured to speak of what was on her mind.
But she need not have feared to break the news to Luke. Apparently it was no news to him. He had read the first anonymous letter through but had thrown the others into the fire. So he knew what they were about.
Rachel was greatly relieved.
"What shall you do Luke?" she asked.
He looked up at her across the table with a smile.
"What do you expect me to do?"
"To make no difference whatever in the length of your sermon," she answered. "But do you realise that one Sunday you may find yourself without a choir?"