'"Mitchell! Mitchell!" rang angrily through the church.
'"Look, woman!" said the Doctor, bending over the kneeling figure at his side. She raised her head and saw the wolfish faces below.
'"They have had ten months of your religion," he said.
'It was his revenge. Bitter, indeed; but he loved her.
'In the mean time the man Mitchell was hauled and pushed and tossed forward to the platform by rough hands that longed to throttle him on the way. At last, angry himself, but full of wonder, he confronted them, this crowd of comrades suddenly turned madmen! "What does this mean?" he asked.
'"Mean! mean!" shouted the men; "a likely story! He asks what this means!" And they laughed boisterously.
'The Doctor advanced. 'You see this woman,' he said.
'"Our Lady no longer; only a woman like any other,--weak and fickle. Take her,--but begone."
'"Take her!" repeated Mitchell, bewildered.--"take our Lady! And where?"
'"Fool! Liar! Blockhead!" shouted the crowd below.
'"The truth is simply this, Mitchell," continued the Doctor, quietly. "We herewith give you up our Lady,--ours no longer; for she has just confessed, openly confessed, that she loves you."
'Black Andy felt the blade of his knife. "He'll never have her alive," he muttered.
'"But," said Mitchell, bluntly confronting the Doctor, "I don't want her."
'"Not in the least," he replied, growing angry, perhaps at himself. "What is she to me? Nothing. A very good missionary, no doubt; but _I_ don't fancy woman-preachers. You may remember that _I_ never gave in to her influence; _I_ was never under her thumb. _I_ was the only man in Little Fishing who cared nothing for her!"
'And that is the secret of _her_ liking,' murmured the Doctor. 'O woman! woman! the same the world over!'
'In the mean time the crowd had stood stupefied.
'"He does not love her!" they said to each other; "he does not want her!"
'Andy's black eyes gleamed with joy; he swung himself up on to the platform. Mitchell stood there with face dark and disturbed, but he did not flinch. Whatever his faults, he was no hypocrite. 'I must leave this to-night,' he said to himself, and turned to go. But quick as a flash our Lady sprang from her knees and threw herself at his feet. 'You are going,' she cried. 'I heard what you said,--you do not love me! But take me with you! Let me be your servant--your slave--anything--anything, so that I am not parted from you, my lord and master, my only, only love!'