Mrs. Lynde thought I was a generous man , and I felt ashamed to look her in the face . But I 'd done what I could to right the wrong , and I thought it would be all right . But it was n't . I 've never known a minute 's peace of mind or conscience since . I tried to cheat the Lord , and then tried to patch it up by doing something that redounded to my worldly credit . When these meetings begun , and everybody expected me to testify , I could n't do it . It would have seemed like blasphemy . And I could n't endure the thought of telling what I 'd done , either . I argued it all out a thousand times that I had n't done any real harm after all , but it was no use . I 've been so wrapped up in my own brooding and misery that I did n't realize I was inflicting suffering on those dear to me by my conduct , and , maybe , holding some of them back from the paths of salvation . But my eyes have been opened to this to-night , and the Lord has given me strength to confess my sin and glorify His holy name . '' The broken tones ceased , and David Bell sat down , wiping the great drops of perspiration from his brow . To a man of his training , and cast of thought , no ordeal could be more terrible than that through which he had just passed . But underneath the turmoil of his emotion he felt a great calm and peace , threaded with the exultation of a hard-won spiritual victory . Over the church was a solemn hush . The evangelist 's `` amen '' was not spoken with his usual unctuous fervor , but very gently and reverently . In spite of his coarse fiber , he could appreciate the nobility behind such a confession as this , and the deeps of stern suffering it sounded . Before the last prayer the pastor paused and looked around . `` Is there yet one , '' he asked gently , `` who wishes to be especially remembered in our concluding prayer ? '' For a moment nobody moved .
Then Mollie Bell stood up in the choir seat , and , down by the stove , Eben , his flushed , boyish face held high , rose sturdily to his feet in the midst XXXXX his companions .
Before For Over after from of than through to with