"Hereafter, I hope you'll send all customers of this kind to Martin.
Dear knows, I don't want them!"
"I shall certainly be careful in this matter," coldly replied Harrison,
and bowing formally, as he spoke, turned away, and left Grant in no
very pleasant frame of mind. From that time there was a coldness
between the two church members.
When Grant went to church on the next Sabbath, he noticed, as he
approached the meeting-house door, Harrison standing in close
conversation with one or two prominent members. As he approached, they
looked toward him in a certain way that he did not like, and then,
separating, entered the house before he came up. It was too evident
that Harrison had been communicating the incident of the ring. But
Grant was not surprised; he had expected nothing less. Still, he felt
that his brother member had not done towards him in the matter as he
would have liked himself done by. On entering the church, half a dozen
persons turned and looked at him earnestly; while two or three
whispered together, glancing towards him every now and then, and thus
showing that he was the subject of conversation. As to the theme of
discourse between them, his mind was in no doubt. The gold ring! Yes,
that was it.
But little edified by the sermon was Mr. Grant on that morning; and,
when the services were ended, he went quickly from the church, and took
his way homeward without stopping, as on former occasions, to shake
hands and pass a few words with friends and brethren.
It had been the custom of several leading members of the church to drop
in occasionally, during the week, and chat with Grant for ten minutes
or half an hour. But the time from Sunday to Sunday was passed without
a single call from any one of them. The reason for this was no mystery
to the jeweller's mind.
"I don't see that I've been guilty of such a terrible crime," said he
to himself, feeling a little indignant on the subject. "The man got his
money's worth; and, moreover, was served perfectly right. Did he
suppose that he was going to get fine gold for the price of solder? If
so, he found himself mistaken. As for Harrison, he's made himself
remarkably busy about the matter. I would not trust him in a similar
case. But it is so pleasant to discourse on evil in our neighbour. So
very pleasant! The good he does is left to find its own way to the
light as best it can; but let him commit a mistake or make a single
false step, and it is preached from house-top."
When Grant and Harrison met, there was a mutual reserve and coldness.
"He is conscious, I am aware, of his wrong dealing," said the latter to
himself, "and therefore shuns me."
"He is aware that he has tried to injure me," said the former, "and
cannot, therefore, meet me as of old."
Two or three weeks passed before the friends who used to drop in to see
him almost every day showed themselves in his shop, and then there was
a too evident change of manner. They appeared distant and reserved, and
he met them with a like exterior. His pride was touched.
"Just as they like," he said to himself. "I can get on without them. I
presume, if all our hearts were laid open, mine would be found quite as
good as theirs. As for Perkins and Marvel, they needn't set themselves
up over me. I think I know them. Men who cut as close as they do in
dealing, generally cut a little from the side that doesn't belong to
them."
Perkins and Marvel, here alluded to, had long been on friendly terms
with Mr. Grant--visiting at his shop--for the purpose of a little
friendly chit-chat--every few days. But a coldness now took place, and,
in a few weeks, they ceased their friendly calls.
In various other ways was Mr. Grant conscious of a reaction upon
himself of his improper conduct. Hundreds of times did he mentally
regret the weakness and love of gain which had prompted him to so far
lose sight of what was just and honourable as to deceive a customer. So
painful was his sense of mortification, that, for a time, he omitted to
attend church on Sunday. Not only was he satisfied that every one in
the congregation knew about the ring, but he could clearly perceive a
change in the manner of his most intimate acquaintances who were
members of the church.
Grant was not a man entirely sold to selfishness. He was not a
deliberate wrong-doer, hiding his evil purposes and acts under a
hypocritical exterior. He had conscience, and, at times, its voice was
loud and distinct. He was, therefore, troubled about the ring as a fact
indicating the state of his affections; as well as troubled about the
condemnatory judgment of his brethren. There were fluctuations of
state, of course, as there are with all of us. Sometimes he was in a
state of humiliation on account of the evil he had done, and sometimes
in a state of indignation at Harrison for having, been so eager to
publish his fault from the house-top.
Gradually, however, the ever-recurring new purposes and interests which
come to all in passing through life, threw the past with its influences
into the shade, and the returns of states of mortification on account
of the ring were less and less frequent. Mr. Grant resumed his
attendance at church, and mingled, as of old, with his brethren; though
in a rather more subdued and less confident spirit. That affair of the
ring could not be entirely forgotten.
In due course of time, the minister on the station had to leave, and a
new one was appointed by the conference to take his place. The Rev. Mr.
C-- arrived early in the week, and during the period that elapsed
between that and the Sabbath, visited a good deal among the brethren.
During that time, an evening was spent at Mr. Harrison's, but no one
brought him around to introduce him to Mr. Grant. The jeweller felt
this, and in his mind, in searching about for reasons, rested, very
naturally, upon the affair of the gold ring, and he did not doubt but
the occurrence had been fully related to Mr. C--.
Under this feeling, Mr. Grant went to church. His first sight of the
new preacher was when he arose in the pulpit to give out the hymn. His
countenance did not make a very favourable impression, but his voice,
when he commenced reading the hymn, had a tone and a modulation that
were pleasing. The subject of the discourse which followed was
practical, and had reference to a man's conduct towards his fellow-man
in the common affairs of life. From general propositions, the minister,
after entering upon his sermon, came down to things particular. He
dwelt upon the love of dominion so deeply rooted in the human heart,
and showed, in various ways, how it was exercised by individuals in all
the grades of common society.
"A more deeply-rooted evil than this," he went on to say, "is theft. We
all inherit, in a greater or less degree, the desire to possess our
neighbour's goods; and, with the earliest development of the mind,
comes the activity of that desire. It is seen in the child when he
appropriates the plaything of another child, and in the so-called good
and honest citizen when, in bargaining, he secures an advantage at the
expense of his brother."
Descending, gradually, to the introduction of particular forms of
overreaching as practised in trade, all of which Mr. C-- designated as
instances of theft, he finally brought forward an instance so nearly
resembling the one in which Mr. Grant had been engaged, that the latter
felt himself, as has been seen, particularly pointed out, and left the
church at the close of the service in a state of excitement and
indignation. To have that old matter, about which he had already
suffered enough, "raked over," as he said, "and exposed to light
again," was a little more than he was disposed to submit to with
patience. As has been seen, he did not conceal what was in his mind.
On Monday, a brother-member of the church dropped in to see the
jeweller.
"How did you like Mr. C--?" was the natural inquiry.
"Not at all," replied Mr. Grant, in a positive tone.
"You didn't? Why, I was delighted with him! What is your objection?"
"He was personal in his discourse."
"I perceived nothing personal."
"Though I did, and of the grossest kind."
"How was it possible for a stranger like Mr. C-- to be personal? He
knows nothing of the characters or conduct of individuals here."
"Strangers generally have quick ears, and there are always plenty of
news-venders to fill them. He's been with the Harrisons, and we all
know what they are."
"To whom did he refer?" was asked.
"He referred to me."
"To you?"
"Certainly he did. And I don't like it at all. That's not the way to
preach the gospel. This running off with one side of a story, and,
taking all for granted, holding a man up to public odium, is not, as I
conceive, following in the footsteps of our Great Master."
"I'm sorry you should have taken up such an impression," was replied to
this. "I cannot believe that Mr. C-- really intended to hold you up to
public odium. He couldn't have meant to designate you."
"He must have meant me. Don't I know?"
So another and another objection was made to Mr. C-- on the same
ground; and before the week was out, it was pretty widely known that
the new preacher had indulged in reprehensible personalities. Some said
this was an error in the preacher; others, that he was highly blamable;
while others affirmed that there must be some mistake about the matter.
On the following Sunday, Mr. Grant was absent from his usual place in
the church. It would do him no good to sit under the ministry of Mr.
C--.
During the week that followed, two of the official members called upon
the jeweller to make inquiries about the alleged personalities. Grant
was, by this time, pretty sore on the subject, and when allusion was
made to it, he gave his opinion of the preacher in no very choice
language.
"In what did this personality consist?" asked one of the visitors.
"It's hardly necessary to ask that question," replied Grant.
"It is for me. No one, whom I have yet seen, has been able to give me
any information on the subject."
"If you ask Mr. C--, he will enlighten you."
"I have already done so."
"You have?"
"Yes."
"What was his reply?"
"That he is innocent of the personality laid to his charge."
"Did you mention my name?"
"I did."
"Well?"
"He had not even heard of you as a member of the church here."
"I can hardly credit that, after what he said."
"You will, at least, give him the chance of vindication. He is now at
my house, and has expressed a wish to see you."
"I don't know that any good will grow out of seeing him," said Mr.
Grant, who felt but little inclined to meet the preacher.
"I'm sorry to hear you say that, Mr. Grant. You have made a complaint
against Mr. C--, and when he wishes to confer with you on the subject,
you decline, under the assumption that no good can arise from it. This
is not right; and I hope you will think better of it."
"Perhaps it isn't right; but so it is. At present, I do not wish to see
him. I may feel differently to-morrow."
"Shall we call upon-you in the morning?"
"If you please to do so."
"Very well."
And the two official members departed.
No sooner were they gone, than Mr. Grant put or his hat and left his
shop. He went direct to the store of Mr. Harrison.
"You are just the man I was thinking about," said the latter, as the
jeweller entered. "What is all this trouble about you and Mr. C--? I
hear some rumour of it at every turn."
"That is just what I have come to see you about."
"Very well; what can I do in the matter? Mr. C--, you allege, has held
you up in the congregation to public odium?"
"I do."
"In what way?"
"Strange that you should ask the question."
"Why so? What have I to do with it?"
"A great deal," said Grant, his brows falling as he spoke.
"I must plead innocence until shown my guilt. So far, I have not even
been able to learn in what the allusion to yourself consisted."
"_You_ have not?"
"No."
Grant stood, tightly compressing his lips, for some moments. He then
said:
"You remember that affair of the gold ring?"
"Very well."
"You mentioned this to C--."
"No. Nor to a living soul since the occurrence of the fact."
"What?"
"Nothing on that subject has ever passed my lips. I believed that you
saw and repented of your error, and in honour and in conscience
refrained from even the remotest allusion to the subject."
"How, then, did Mr. C-- become cognisant of the fact?"
"If cognisant all, it was from another source than the one you
supposed."
"I never mentioned it. You were the only one to whom the circumstance
was communicated. How, then, could the matter have gotten abroad?"
"I don't believe a single member of the congregation ever heard of it."
"Oh, yes, they have. These has been a marked change in the manner of
very many towards me. So apparent was this at one time, that I absented
myself from church, rather than encounter it."
"All your imagination, brother Grant, and nothing else. I believe that
I mingle as freely with the congregation as any one, and I know that I
never heard a breath against you. At present, every one is at a loss to
know in what way Mr. C-- pointed you out; he is equally in the dark."
"I was sure he meant me. It was so plain," said Mr. Grant, his
countenance falling, and his manner becoming subdued.
"There was nothing of the kind, you may depend upon it," replied Mr.
Harrison.
"And you never spoke of it?"
"Never!"
"A guilty conscience, it is said, needs no accuser. The likeness to me
was so strong, that I really thought the picture was sketched from
myself as the original. Ah, me!"
"Had you not better call on Mr. C--?" asked Harrison.
"No, no. See him for me, if you please, and tell him that I am
convinced of my error in supposing he pointed me out in the
congregation. As to the particular allusion that I felt to be
offensive, I hope you will still keep your own counsel. I did wrong,
under temptation, and have suffered and repented in consequence. It can
do no good to bring the matter to light now."
"None at all. I will not speak of it."
Nor did he. Many and various were the suggestions and suppositions of
the congregation touching the nature of the preacher's personal
allusion to the jeweller, and some dozen of little gossiping stories
got into circulation; but the truth did not find its way to the light.
And not until the day on which he was leaving the station for a new
field of labour, did the preacher himself understand the matter; and
then he had it from Mr. Grant's own lips.