Christian? And you propose to let an alien take charge of the Lord's
work? I wash my hands of the whole matter."

"Are you sure he will be all right?" asked the other girl on the
committee.

"Sure," replied Wicks, "if he will take it, and I think we can get
Charlie here to see to that."

Charlie nodded. "It will be a splendid thing for him," he said; and
then he told them how Dick spent his evenings alone in the office,
rather than go to the only places open to him.

"Well," said Uncle Bobbie, "let's fix it that way. Brother Wickham,
we have decided to ask Richard Falkner to take charge of the rooms."

"I've got nothing to say about it, sir," answered the good deacon. "I
don't know anything about it. I wash my hands of the whole matter."

And so the work at the Jerusalem Church was established. It took no
little power of persuasion on the part of Charlie Bowen, to bring his
friend to the point of accepting the committee's offer, even when it
was endorsed by the entire Young People's Society, and a large part
of the congregation. But his arguments finally prevailed and Dick
consented to be at the rooms between the hours of seven and eleven
every evening, the time when a strong, tactful man in authority would
be most needed.

The rooms were furnished by friends of the cause and were cheery,
comfortable, homelike apartments, where everyone was made welcome.