the humbler of the flock she gaily remarked, that she did
not purpose turning city missionary. "When ladies called upon her,
she would return their calls, that is, if she wished to continue the
acquaintance; but as for running all about town hunting out obscure
people, that was out of the question."

There was a gay clique in the church who eagerly welcomed the
pastor's wife to their circle. They organised a literary society and
gave Shakespearian entertainments.

Mrs. Eldred's fine literary taste and musical abilities made her a
valuable acquisition. She soon became the centre about which it
revolved. Was there a difficult part to be rendered, or a queen of
beauty to be represented, Mrs. Eldred was sure to be chosen, and she
gave herself with enthusiasm to the absorbing fascination.

Mr. Eldred had united with them in the beginning, but when he
discovered that the members of the society were much more interested
in getting up costumes than they were in their own mental
improvement, and that the whole thing was degenerating into private
theatricals, he withdrew, and urged his wife to do the same, but no
amount of persuasion could move her in the least; her own will had
been her law too long. And this was the being he had thought to
mould! It was all so different from the picture he had sketched of
these first months of their married life, the picture of sunny, happy
days, flowing on with scarce a ripple. Instead, they held long heated
discussions that only served to widen the distance between them.

"I beg your pardon," Vida said, in sarcastic tones, during one of
these skirmishes, "but I think it would be much more to your profit
to attend the meetings of our society than to find fault with me. If
you would study Shakespeare more, it might freshen up your sermons
somewhat, and lift them from the commonplace. I cannot but think you
are degenerating. The first discourse I heard you preach was filled
with poetical fancies and literary allusions, and the language was
flowery and beautiful. Your preaching seems to have changed of late;
last Sabbath, for example, it was mere 'talk' without rhetoric or
eloquence; the most ignorant in the church could have understood
them. I thought you would receive a call soon to a wealthy church in
a large city, but you never will make a reputation if you preach in
this style."

Mrs. Eldred's angry passions were raised to a high pitch, or she
would not have spoken thus plainly.