“I think not. It is all too amazingly real. But I would give anything to go with you tomorrow. It will be a great meeting, both with the students and with the Chancellor.”

“I’m sure of it,” Stanton said. His excitement was rising. He vaguely imagined what might happen, but not even his glowing imagination could picture the reality as it occurred the next day there at the University Assembly, after that luncheon with the chancellor and several of the faculty members.

Those unparalleled scenes at the University had come and gone. He had returned to the city with Jesus and had seen him walking calmly towards Mr. Maxwell’s house, while he himself, every nerve in him tingling with the most thrilling feeling, walked over to Dr. West’s to keep his appointment about the rooms where he anticipated making his future home.

The doctor, who was Virginia’s uncle, was an old bachelor who had welcomed the possibility of having this strong, young preacher in his house with him. But not even when he went in and was greeted heartily by the doctor, did he seem to be conscious of the reason for his being there.

And not even when Virginia appeared in the drawing room did he seem to hear Dr. West saying, “Virginia, Miss Page, my niece, you know, has just come over to see if her old uncle is behaving himself in his bachelor quarters. Nothing like having someone like Virginia to look after you, eh, Stanton?”

Not even the doctor’s impersonal use of the embarrassing pronoun “you,” nor Virginia’s deep blush as she turned to say something to the doctor, seemed to attract Stanton.

“Yes,” he said vaguely. “Excuse me, but I have just been through a most astonishing scene at the University. I cannot think of anything else just now.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Virginia eagerly. “Tell us about it. He spoke there to the students?”

“Yes,” said Stanton slowly.

A full minute passed—one of those silences with which people were fast growing familiar.

A rush of sound swept into the house from the street. Dr. West, standing near the window, looked out eagerly. “Looks like the whole University.”

Stanton rose, and then Virginia, and side by side they looked out the window. A tumultuous crowd was flowing by, shouting, waving pennants, and motioning. It seemed to the doctor and Virginia that the student body was divided into two hostile groups.

“They are headed for the church,” Stanton said after a while.

“We ought to be going, Uncle,” said Virginia. “We won’t be able to get in.”

“Mr. Maxwell will find places for us,” said Dr. West. “This conference is for the church people especially, and was so announced. I want to hear from Mr. Stanton what occurred out at the University.”

Stanton came back from the window and sat down. “It was the most remarkable scene in a university I ever witnessed, and confirmed all my faith in him. May I wait a moment?” He spoke to Virginia who was leaning forward in an attitude of intense expectancy. “I will tell as well as I can what occurred out there at the University.”