“You needn’t be afraid of Stoddard. He won’t pray over Wayne or scold him or preach to him.”
“You spoke of some hard blow Wayne had recently. Was it a woman?” asked Wingfield.
“Yes,” the clergyman answered.
“What was the matter with her?” growled Walsh resentfully.
“I suppose it was my fault,” Paddock answered. “She is a fine woman—but she wasn’t quite free, as we look at it in the Church.”
“And of course the Church couldn’t sacrifice itself,” Walsh grumbled.
“It wasn’t as easy as that, Mr. Walsh. There were three people to consider, leaving the Church out entirely.”
“Well, I’m for trying the monastery,” said Wingfield. “It can do no harm, and he may resume operations while we sit here talking about it.”
“Mr. Paddock,” began Walsh, as his visitors rose, “do I understand you to say that a man can’t go to the bad if he works hard enough at it?”
Walsh frowned so fiercely that Paddock laughed.