“The boy is completely carried away with this American religion,” continued the girl, pacing nervously back and forth in the room.  “Pastor Tonset called to see him the other day, and you ought to have heard them!  The pastor, as our friend, came to advise him; but do you think Henrik would take any advice?  Why, he even argued with the pastor, saying that he could prove the truth of this religion from the Scriptures.”

“Has he talked to you about it?”

“Yes; and he wanted me to accompany him to Osterhausgaden where these people hold meetings.  I told him definitely and forcibly that I didn’t want him to mention religion to me.”

“He seems to be in such deep earnest.”

“And that’s the pity of it.  It does no good to talk to him.  He takes it for granted that he should be persecuted.  I believe he is ready to give up everything for this creed that has him in its grasp.”

A violent ringing of the bell brought Selma to the door.  It was Henrik, who had forgotten his latch key.  He hung up his hat, wiped the perspiration from his face, for it was a warm evening; then he said cheerily: 

“Spring is coming; I feel it in the air.  I’ll be glad to get out to Nordal—­there is so much to do this summer—­”

“Young man,” interrupted the sister, “we have been talking about you.”

“About my wickedness, I suppose.”

“About your foolishness.  It isn’t very pleasant for us—­what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?  That which is unkind to you, mother?” He placed his arms lovingly around her shoulders, but she sat without replying, her face in her handkerchief.  He turned to Selma.

“What have I done?” he asked.  “Do I drink?  Do I gamble?  Do I steal?  Do I lie?  Do I profane?  Do I treat any of you unkindly?  Am I disrespectful to my mother or my sister?”

“You associate with a people known everywhere as the scum of the earth,” snapped the sister, as she stood in front of him.  “You are disgracing us—­the whole Bogstad family—­you—­but what’s the use of talking to you.”

“Not a bit of use that way, dear sister.  Suppose you answer some of my questions.  You accuse, but never bring proof.  You would rather believe uninformed people than me.  You accept hearsay, but will not listen to the truth I wish to tell you.  I have asked you to point out some of the bad things taught by the Latter-day Saints, but so far you have never tried.  I have invited you to go with me—­”

“Do you think I would thus disgrace myself to appear in their meetings!”

“You will not even read a simple tract; you close your eyes and ears.  You push God from you when you say that He does not reveal Himself any more; and so does Pastor Tonset and all his followers.  Because I am willing to receive light, even though it comes from a ’sect everywhere spoken against,’ I am a bad man.  I tell you, my sister, and also you, my mother, I may be looked upon as a disgrace to the Bogstad family, but the time will come when you and all that family will thank the Lord that one member of the family heard the truth, and had courage enough to accept it!”