“Felicia,” she whispered, and there was a flush of anger on her cheeks, “this is folly.  What can you do?  You will bring some disgrace on the family.  What will father say?  Come!”

Felicia looked at her but did not answer at once.  Her lips were moving with a petition that came from the depth of feeling that measured a new life for her.  She shocked her head.

“No, I am going to stay.  I shall take the pledge.  I am ready to obey it.  You do not know why I am doing this.”

Rose gave her one look and then turned and went out of the pew, and down the aisle.  She did not even stop to talk with her acquaintances.  Mrs. Delano was going out of the church just as Rose stepped into the vestibule.

“So you are not going to join Dr. Bruce’s volunteer company?” Mrs. Delano asked, in a queer tone that made Rose redden.

“No, are you?  It is simply absurd.  I have always regarded that Raymond movement as fanatical.  You know cousin Rachel keeps us posted about it.”

“Yes, I understand it is resulting in a great deal of hardship in many cases.  For my part, I believe Dr. Bruce has simply provoked disturbance here.  It will result in splitting our church.  You see if it isn’t so.  There are scores of people in the church who are so situated that they can’t take such a pledge and keep it.  I am one of them,” added Mrs. Delano as she went out with Rose.

When Rose reached home, her father was standing in his usual attitude before the open fireplace, smoking a cigar.

“Where is Felicia?” he asked as Rose came in.

“She stayed to an after-meeting,” replied Rose shortly.  She threw off her wraps and was going upstairs when Mr. Sterling called after her.

“An after-meeting?  What do you mean?”

“Dr. Bruce asked the church to take the Raymond pledge.”

Mr. Sterling took his cigar out of his mouth and twirled it nervously between his fingers.

“I didn’t expect that of Dr. Bruce.  Did many of the members stay?”

“I don’t know.  I didn’t,” replied Rose, and she went upstairs leaving her father standing in the drawing-room.

After a few moments he went to the window and stood there looking out at the people driving on the boulevard.  His cigar had gone out, but he still fingered it nervously.  Then he turned from the window and walked up and down the room.  A servant stepped across the hall and announced dinner and he told her to wait for Felicia.  Rose came downstairs and went into the library.  And still Mr. Sterling paced the drawing-room restlessly.

He had finally wearied of the walking apparently, and throwing himself into a chair was brooding over something deeply when Felicia came in.

He rose and faced her.  Felicia was evidently very much moved by the meeting from which she had just come.  At the same time she did not wish to talk too much about it.  Just as she entered the drawing-room, Rose came in from the library.