CHAPTER X
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hen Fate is fighting with all her might against a human soul, the greatestvictory that the soul can win is to reconcile itself to the unpleasant, which isnever quite so unpleasant afterwards. Upon this principle Frederick Brentacted instinctively. What with work and study and contact with his fellow-students, he found the seminary not so bad a place, after all. Indeed, hebegan to take a sort of pleasure in his pursuits. The spirit of healthycompetition in the school whetted his mind and made him forgetful ofmany annoyances from without. When some fellow-salesman at the storegibed at him for being a parson, it hurt him; but the wound was healed andhe was compensated when in debate he triumphed over the crack speakerof his class. It was a part of his training to do earnestly and thoroughly whathe had to do, even though it was distasteful, and it was not long before hewas spoken of as one of the most promising members of the school.Notwithstanding its steady growth toward citydom, Dexter retained manyof the traditions of its earlier and smaller days. Among them was that ofmaking the church the centre of its social and public life. For this reasonthe young student came in for much attention on account of his standing inthe religious college. Another cause which elicited the praise andcongratulations of his friends was his extreme youth. That communitywhich could send out a "boy preacher" always deemed itself particularlyfavoured by Providence. Dexter was no exception, and it had already begunto bestow the appellation upon young Brent, much to his disgust. He knewthe species and detested it. It was mostly composed of ignorant andhypocritical young prigs, in whom their friends had seemed to see someespecial merit and had forthwith hoisted them into a position that was asfoolish as it was distasteful. They were hailed as youthful prodigies andexploited around the country like a patent medicine or a side-show. What isremarkable at eighteen is not so striking at twenty-eight. So when theirextreme youth was no longer a cause for surprise, the boy preachers settleddown into every-day dulness, with nothing except the memory of a flimsyfame to compensate the congregations they bored. Against this Frederick Brent fought with all his strength. He refusedinvitation after invitation to "talk" or "exhort," on the plea that he wishedto be fully prepared for his work before entering upon it. But his success at school militated against him, for the fame of hisoratorical powers was gradually but surely leaking out. The facultyrecognised and commended it, so he could not hope long to hide behindhis plea, although he dreaded the day when it would no longer setve his 54
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