"Quarterly Conference is only a fortnight off, and I am a good deal at sea about what is going to happen.""I'm not a church member, you know," interposed Gorringe.
"That shuts me out of the Quarterly Conference.""Alas, yes!" said Theron."I wish it didn't.I'm afraid I'm not going to have any friends to spare there.""What are you afraid of?" asked the lawyer, seeming now to be wholly at his ease again "They can't eat you.""No, they keep me too lean for that," responded Theron, with a pensive smile."I WAS going to ask, you know, for an increase of salary, or an extra allowance.
I don't see how I can go on as it is.The sum fixed by the last Quarterly Conference of the old year, and which Iam getting now, is one hundred dollars less than my predecessor had.That isn't fair, and it isn't right.
But so far from its looking as if I could get an increase, the prospect seems rather that they will make me pay for the gas and that sidewalk.I never recovered more than about half of my moving expenses, as you know, and--and, frankly, I don't know which way to turn.
It keeps me miserable all the while."
"That's where you're wrong," said Mr.Gorringe."If you let things like that worry you, you'll keep a sore skin all your life.You take my advice and just go ahead your own gait, and let other folks do the worrying.
They ARE pretty close-fisted here, for a fact, but you can manage to rub along somehow.If you should get into any real difficulties, why, I guess--" the lawyer paused to smile in a hesitating, significant way--"Iguess some road out can be found all right.The main thing is, don't fret, and don't allow your wife to--to fret either."
He stopped abruptly.Theron nodded in recognition of his amiable tone, and the found the nod lengthening itself out into almost a bow as the thought spread through his mind that this had been nothing more nor less than a promise to help him with money if worst came to worst.