“It is out of the question!” said the first speaker, excitedly.  “The church will never listen to it in the world.  For my part, if Brother Strong wishes to——­”

At that moment the sexton knocked at the door and said a man was outside very anxious to see the minister and have him come down to his house.  There had been an accident, or a fight, or something.  Some one was dying and wanted Mr. Strong at once.  So Philip hastily excused himself and went out, leaving the trustees together.

The door was hardly shut again when the speaker who had been interrupted jumped to his feet and exclaimed: 

“As I was saying, for my part, if Brother Strong wishes to indulge in this eccentric action he will not have the sanction of my vote in the matter!  It certainly is an entirely unheard-of and uncalled-for proposition.”

“Mr. Strong has, no doubt, a generous motive in this proposed action,” said a third member of the Board; “but the church certainly will not approve any such step as the giving up of the parsonage.  He exaggerates the need of such a sacrifice.  I think we ought to reason him out of the idea.”

“We called Mr. Strong to the pastorate of Calvary Church,” said another; “and it seems to me he came under the conditions granted in our call.  For the church to allow such an absurd thing as the giving up of the parsonage to this proposed outside work would be a very unwise move.”

“Yes, and more than that,” said the first speaker, “I want to say very frankly that I am growing tired of the way things have gone since Mr. Strong came to us.  What business has Calvary Church with all these outside matters, these labor troubles and unemployed men and all the other matters that have been made the subject of preaching lately?  I want a minister who looks after his own parish.  Mr. Strong does not call on his own people; he has not been inside my house but once since he came to Milton.  Brethren, there is a growing feeling of discontent over this matter.”

There was a short pause and then one of the members said: 

“Surely, if Mr. Strong feels dissatisfied with his surroundings in the parsonage or feels as if his work lay in another direction, he is at liberty to choose another parish.  But he is the finest pulpit-minister we ever had, and no one doubts his entire sincerity.  He is a remarkable man in many respects.”

“Yes, but sincerity may be a very awkward thing if carried too far.  And in this matter of the parsonage I don’t see how the trustees can allow it.  Why, what would the other churches think of it?  Calvary Church cannot allow anything of the kind, for the sake of its reputation.  But I would like to hear Mr. Winter’s opinion; he has not spoken yet.”

The rest turned to the mill-owner, who as chairman of the Board usually had much to say, and was regarded as a shrewd and careful business adviser.  In the excitement of the occasion and discussion the usual formalities of a regular Board-meeting had been ignored.