There is something so serious in the responsibility which you lay on me, that I shall sink under the burden unless my whole heart is in the work.

If I feel attracted toward Mr.
Romayne when I first see him; if he wins upon me, little by little, until I love him like a brother--then, indeed, I can promise that his conversion shall be the dearest object of my life.

But if there is not this intimate sympathy between us--forgive me if I say it plainly--I implore you to pass me over, and to commit the task to the hands of another man." His voice trembled; his eyes moistened.

Father Benwell handled his young friend's rising emotion with the dexterity of a skilled angler humoring the struggles of a lively fish.
"Good Arthur!" he said.

"I see much--too much, dear boy--of self-seeking people.