ea at
eight, because the girls want a little dance after it. Now come
early."

Just in front of these two ladies a group have halted to make
inquiries.

"Where is Fanny to-day? Is she sick?"

"Oh, no. But the truth is her hat didn't suit, and she sent it back
and didn't get it again. She waited till one o'clock, but it didn't
come. Milliners are growing so independent and untrustworthy! I told
Fanny to wear her old hat and never mind, but she wouldn't. Estelle
and Arthur have gone off to the Cathedral this morning. Absurd, isn't
it? I don't like to have them go so often. It looks odd. But Arthur
runs wild over the music there. I tell him our music is good enough,
but he doesn't think so."

"I don't know what the trouble is, but the young people do not seem
to be attracted to our church," the elder lady says, and she says it
with a sigh. She belongs to that class of people who _always_ say
things with a sigh.

Further on Mrs. Hammond has paused to say that if the weather
continues so lovely she thinks they would better have that excursion
during the week. The gardens will be in all their glory. Tell the
girls she thinks they better settle on Wednesday as the day least
likely to have engagements. The lady knows that she is mentioning the
day for the regular church prayer-meeting, and she is sending word to
members of the church. But what of that?

"I'm tired almost to death," says Mrs. Edwards, "We have been
house-cleaning all the week, and it is such a trial, with inefficient
help. I wouldn't have come to church at all to-day but the weather
was so lovely, and we have so few days in this climate when one can
wear anything decent it seemed a pity to lose one. Have you finished
house-cleaning?"

At the foot of the stairs Miss Lily Harrison meets the soprano
singer.

"Oh, Lorena!" she exclaims, "your voice was just perfectly divine
this morning. Let me tell you what Jim said, when you went up on the
high notes of the anthem. He leaned over and whispered to me, 'The
angels can't go ahead of that, _I_ know; irreverent fellow!--Lorena,
what a perfect match your silk is! Where did you succeed so well? I
was _dying_ to see that dress! I told mamma if it were not for the
first sight of that dress, and of Laura's face when she saw it was so
much more elegant than hers, I should have been tempted to take a nap
this morning instead of coming to church. However, I got a delicious
one as it was. Weren't you horribly sleep