I hoped your wife had
reformed you."
"Or that he had come to years of discretion," suggested Mr. Hubbard,
with his charming smile.
"Oh, but I find years of indiscretion so much more interesting," Fenton
retorted.
A moment later Helen said something about the truth, and Rangely
retorted,--
"Truth is generally what one wishes to believe."
"Except in Puritanism," broke in Arthur, "there it was whatever one
didn't wish to believe."
"Don't you think," questioned Mr. Hubbard, "that you are always a
little hard on the Puritans? You must admire their conviction and their
bravery."
"Oh, yes," was Fenton's reply; "there is something superb in the
earnestness of the Puritans, and their absorption in one idea; but that
idea has left its birthmark of gloom on all their descendants, and one
cannot forget that Puritanism was the soil from which sprang the
unbelief of today."
"Bless us!" cried Rangely, "is Saul also among the prophets? Are you
also condemning unbelief?"
"Not at all," said Fenton, coolly, "I only want those who defend
Puritanism to accept its legitimate results."
"It seems to me," protested Mr. Candish, who had become very red
according to his unfortunate wont; "that if you argue in that way, you
must always condemn good, because evil may come after it."
"Oh, I do," retorted Fenton, airily.
Everybody except the clergyman laughed at the unexpectedness of this
reply; but Mr.
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