better than a bear, anyway," retorted Jack.

"Maurice reminds me of the day I first talked to him through the hedge,"
Rosalind remarked, smiling at him.

Maurice laughed. "I was pretty cross that day. I don't mean that I want to
give the society up, only we can't meet here much longer, and it seems as
if our fun was nearly over."

"It will soon be too cold to have our meetings out of doors; let's ask the
magician if we can't meet there," Belle proposed.

"What fun! I almost wish I wasn't going home. You must all write to me
about what you do," said Rosalind.

"We shall miss you dreadfully," Belle said, looking pensive for a moment.

"But she hasn't gone yet, so what is the use of thinking about something
that is going to happen, when you are having a pretty good time now?"
asked Jack, philosophically.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH.

THE PRESIDENT.

"--And good in everything."

Friendship was without doubt a churchgoing community,--the different
denominations could all boast of creditable congregations on Sunday
mornings,--but on the occasion of Dr. Hollingsworth's visit, the other
churches had a mere handful to divide between them, while at the
Presbyterian church chairs had to be placed in the aisles. Such an unusual
event afforded a pleasing variety in the customary Sabbath monotony.
Something of a festive air pervaded the assembly.

Celia Fair and Miss Betty Bishop, both deserters from the Episcopal
church, chanced to be seated together. Rosalind's urgent invitation to
come and hear our president preach, had brought Celia, and it was, of
course, for old friendship's sake that Miss Betty was there.

"Isn't that Mrs. Whittredge?" she whispered to Celia, as Allan with his
mother and Rosalind passed up the aisle. "I don't know when she has been
at church before." Then at sight of Mrs. Molesworth Miss Betty gave a
slight shrug.

A flutter of interested anticipation was noticeable when Dr. Pierce
entered the pulpit accompanied by the stranger, and it must be confessed
that the service preceding the sermon was gone through with perfunctorily
by the greater part of the congregation. After the notices for the week
had been given, there was a general settling back and recalling of
wandering attention as Dr. Hollingsworth came forward and stood in the
pastor's place at the desk.

Mrs. Molesworth twisted her neck in an endeavor to see if he had notes;
Colonel Parton decided promptly that here was no orator; Bel