“Oh, that will be delightful!” cried Faith, excitedly, “only I will not promise to be a very wise inspector, for I am so young that I am sadly in need of experience.”

“‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’  I do not tremble for the results,” said Mr. Denton, smiling.

Faith went back to the department and told Miss Fairbanks of the new arrangement, and in less than an hour every clerk in the store knew it.

“Just think, she has money and yet she will stay here,” said one, “and she is to look after our interests, which is the strangest thing about it!”

“Everything is strange here nowadays,” was the thoughtful reply.  “Why, I’m sure this is the only store in the world that is run on a Christian basis!”

The next remark was made in a lower tone, as if the speaker was doubtful of her own statements in the matter.

“And do you know,” she said, slowly, “the business of the store is actually increasing!  I got it straight from the head bookkeeper that Mr. Denton is holding his own splendidly in spite of the fact that every one predicted a sure failure.”

“Well, I hope I shall never have to work anywhere else,” was the answer.  “It would kill me to go back to those old days of slavery and poor salaries!”

As the weeks passed by, even the greatest doubter became convinced that the business of the store was improving.  Great crowds came every day to look about, if not to buy, for their curiosity as well as interest was genuine and unbounded.

Many flocked to the store to compare the prices of goods with those of the other emporiums and to draw their own conclusions as to the sincerity of the enterprise.

A high price on an article was often misleading until the manufacturer’s side of the question was explained and understood, and so, too, a low price often produced various criticism from those who could not differentiate between just and usurious profit.

But in the main the efforts of the merchant were pretty fairly understood and a perfect flood of congratulations followed the enlightenment.

“My motto is consideration for the manufacturer, justice to myself and honest value to my patrons,” said Mr. Denton to all.  “If I vary from this, it will be through error, not malice.”

One by one the buyers learned their lesson of right dealing, and the counters of the big establishment showed the result of their labors.

They were filled with goods whose first values had not been depreciated and whose sale profits were in proportion to the labor expended in handling them.

As Mr. Gibson had said, poor people had flocked to the store.  They were satisfied that, at last, they would get the worth of every penny.

“It’s funny to see how suspicious they were of us at first,” he said to Faith one day.  “Why, they were more doubtful of us than ever, I do believe, and all because we had enrolled under a Christian banner.”