But not as a gift, you know. I’ll say it was a gift from the crowd. I’ll make him understand. A reminder of us all at home or something like that. I’ll give him that list of the Bible study we are all taking together. Haven’t you got an extra copy?”

“Oh, yes! That’s fine. Tell him to join our group in reading and then we can send him the examination slips every month. Tell him we want to count him as one of our group.”

“Sure!” said Alan. “That’s a great idea, Sherry! A sort of a binder to home. How about getting word around to the crowd and having them down to the train station in the morning? Just give him a little send-off. Do you think they would do it?”

“I think they would, Alan. I think that’s wonderful of you. May I tell them you asked it? They’ll—be a little surprised, you know— They’ve always considered you two were enemies.”

“I’d like them to know that we are not anymore,” said Alan gravely, setting his lips in a firm line that gave a very lovely look to his young face.

“All right, Alan,” said Sherrill with a lilt to her voice, “I’ll send the Bible right over to your house. Keith is going past there and he can leave it at the door without troubling anybody, can’t he? And I’ll begin calling up the bunch right away. Is it the eight-thirty train? All right. And we’ll have the farewell hymn ready, too. How’s that?”

“Okay. The very thing!” said Alan feeling a lump in his throat at the thought. Oh, why hadn’t he known Bob before? How wrong, how sinful it was to get angry at anyone—to judge anyone—to pick out any human soul and make powerless one’s influence toward him. Why had he never thought of that before?

Sherrill’s voice sang cheerfully over the wire, “That’s great of you, Alan! Simply great!”

“Nothing of the kind,” said the boy huskily, with a thrill of pleasure at her tone, nevertheless.

The musty old office looked almost glorified to his eyes as he hung up the receiver and looked about him. Well, at least if he could not go to the desert, he could have a part in preparing his substitution. Now, wasn’t that great of Sherrill to remember that Bible!

He reached for his hat again and then caught sight of the open safe. He must lock that up, of course, before he left. How careless he had almost been. It showed he was not fit to take charge of the business. He must buck up and get his mind in working order.

He stooped to swing the big safe door shut and then remembered something else. What was it his father had said about papers in the safe? He ought to have looked them over earlier in the evening. How careless of him to have gone to the city and left the safe unlocked. But then, Joe, who had stayed behind, was of course perfectly trustworthy. Dad always trusted Joe utterly.