late husband had not more generally
familiarized you with the ways of the world. But so it is--we all have
our weaknesses. If not one thing, another. And as Envy and
Uncharitableness sometimes find their way in even Christian hearts, I
should like you to undertake this office for the sake of example.
There are some, dear Sister Argalls, who think that the rich widow who
is most liberal in the endowment of the goods that Providence has
intrusted to her hands claims therefore to be exempt from labor in the
Christian vineyard. Let us teach them how unjust they are."

"I am willing," said the lady, with a dry, determined air. "I suppose
these patients are not professedly bad characters?"

"By no means. A few, perhaps; but the majority are
unfortunates--dependent either upon public charity or some small
provision made by their friends."

"Very well."

"And you understand that though they have the privilege of rejecting
your Christian ministrations, dear Sister Argalls, you are free to
judge when you may be patient or importunate with them?"

"I understand."

The Pastor was not an unkindly man, and, as he glanced at the
uncompromising look in Mrs. Argalls's eyes, felt for a moment some
inconsistency between his humane instincts and his Christian duty.
"Some of them may require, and be benefited by, a stern monitress, and
Sister Robbins, I fear, was weak," he said consolingly to himself, as
he descended the steps again.

At three o'clock Mrs. Argalls, with a reticule and a few tracts, was at
the door of St. John's Hospital. As she displayed her testimonials and
announced that she had taken Mrs. Robbins's place, the officials
received her respectfully, and gave some instructions to the
attendants, which, however, did not stop some individual comments.

"I say, Jim, it doesn't seem the square thing to let that grim old girl
loose among them poor convalescents."

"Well, I don't know: they say she's rich and gives a lot o' money away,
but if she tackles that swearing old Kentuckian in No. 3, she'll have
her hands full."

However, the criticism was scarcely fair, for Mrs. Argalls, although
moving rigidly along from bed to bed of the ward, equipped with a
certain formula of phrases, nevertheless dropped from time to time some
practical common-sense questions that showed an almost masculine
intuition of the patients' needs and requirements. Nor did she betray
any of that over-sensitive shrinking from coarseness w