ty at all in this. She went to church regularly in
London, offered up as simple and as earnest prayers as anyone; lifted up
her beautiful voice in the hymns and psalms and responses in honest
forgetfulness of the things of yesterday and to-morrow, and, for the
time being at least, took the lessons of the sermon to heart with a
simple faith which many of her respectable sisters in the congregation
were far from feeling.

In short, though the circumstances were different, she was very much in
the position of the average respectable, well-to-do church-going
Christian who will strive all the week, often by quite questionable
methods, to lay up for himself and his wife and family treasures upon
earth, and then on Sunday go to church and listen with the most perfect
honesty and the most undisturbed equanimity to the reading of the Sermon
on the Mount.

But when she saw Sir Reginald go with his son and his daughter-in-law,
with her parents and Vane's father up through the chancel where Vane was
sitting, her heart turned sick in her breast. The sacrilege, the
blasphemy of it all seemed horrible beyond belief. Again and again the
words rose to her lips. Again and again an almost irresistible impulse
impelled her to get up, and she was only saved from doing what all that
was best in her nature urged her to do, by the knowledge that, after
all, she might only be expelled from the Cathedral by the Vergers, and
perhaps prosecuted afterwards for brawling. Then her real story would
come out.

She was visiting her parents who lived in Worcester, and who believed
that she was conducting a little millinery business in London. She had
great natural skill in designing head-gear--her own hat, for instance,
had been gazed on by many an envious eye since the service began--and
she would have bitten her tongue through, rather than say a word which
would have undeceived them. And so for this reason as well she held her
peace.

Then she had heard the sonorous voice of the officiating priest rolling
down the chancel:

"Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in
love and charity with your neighbours and intend to lead a new
life, following the commandments of God and walking from henceforth
in His holy way, draw near with faith and take this Holy Sacrament
to your comfort."

Then came the general confession, and as she followed it in her
prayer-book she thought of that unconfessed, though, p