startlingly appropriate selection, rendered with
inconceivable lingering upon each syllable: "Roos-cyoo the
Poor-oosh-oong!" At unexpected intervals two male voices, evidently
belonging to men who had contracted the habit of holding tin in their
mouths, joined the lady in a thorough search for the Lost Chord.

That was the last of silence in Canaan for an hour or so. The organ
was merely inaugural: across the street a piano sounded; firm,
emphatic, determined, vocal competition with the instrument here also;
"Rock of Ages" the incentive. Another piano presently followed suit,
in a neighboring house: "Precious Jewels." More distant, a second
organ was heard; other pianos, other organs, took up other themes; and
as a wakeful puppy's barking will go over a village at night, stirring
first the nearer dogs to give voice, these in turn stimulating those
farther away to join, one passing the excitement on to another, until
hounds in farm-yards far beyond the town contribute to the
long-distance conversation, even so did "Rescue the Perishing" enliven
the greater part of Canaan.

It was this that made Ariel realize a thing of which hitherto she had
not been able to convince herself: that she was actually once more in
the town where she had spent her long-ago girlhood; now grown to seem
the girlhood of some other person. It was true: her foot was on her
native heath and her name was Ariel Tabor--the very name of the girl
who had shared the town's disapproval with Joe Louden! "Rescue the
Perishing" brought it all back to her; and she listened to these
sharply familiar rites of the Canaanite Sabbath evening with a shiver
of pain.

She turned from the gate to go into the house, heard Eugene's voice at
the door, and paused. He was saying good-night to Mamie.

"And please say 'au revoir' to Miss Tabor for me," he added, peering
out under his hand. "I don't know where she can have gone."

"Probably she came in and went to her room," said Mamie.

"Don't forget to tell her 'au revoir.'"

"I won't, dear. Good-night."

"Good-night." She lifted her face and he kissed her perfunctorily.
Then he came down the steps and went slowly toward the gate, looking
about him into the darkness as if searching for something; but Ariel
had fled away from the path of light that led from the open door.

She skimmed noiselessly across the lawn and paused at the side of the
house, leaning against the veranda, where, on a night long past