ew that while she would be
relieving her friend of some of the burden of her work she would have
ample opportunities of discovering whether she were fitted to govern.

She was soon busy in many ways, in mothers' meetings, Bible classes,
industrial kitchens, dormitories, refuges, and in visiting with the
Bible women. In every department of that varied work she was most
helpful to Mrs. Ranyard, even taking the whole charge of the mission for
two months while the latter was absent in Switzerland. She found her
knowledge of German very useful, and turned it to the best account on
several occasions when she met with German immigrants.

In the narrow courts and lanes of London, unthought of and unheeded by
the busy throng, she found many of the Lord's jewels who, though poor in
this world's goods and sick in body, were yet rich in faith and strong
in soul. One of these, a woman who for thirty-two years had been a
terrible sufferer, would whisper, "Blessed Jesus, in everything
suitable. Just the Saviour suitable for me." Another, whom she several
times mentions in her letters, and to whom she delighted to minister as
a nurse, a poor cripple who had only the use of her thumb, and who from
lying eighteen years in one position had terrible bed-sores, could yet
say, "I am ashamed to talk of my suffering when I think of all Jesus
suffered for me."

[Illustration:]

Her happy work in London was brought to a premature conclusion by a
telegram announcing that her sister was ill of fever in Rome, followed
by another begging her to go to her at once. A journey thither was not
such an easy one then as it is now, but, after arranging all her work so
as to give Mrs. Ranyard as little trouble as possible, Agnes bravely
undertook it. A heavy storm was encountered at Marseilles, where she
embarked for Italy, and this delayed her arrival in Rome, so that on
reaching there she found her sister out of danger. A cousin, however,
who had formed one of the party, had fallen ill of the same fever, and
needed careful nursing, so that she found her hands full, and, as the
recovery of both invalids was slow, she determined to give up her London
work, and devote herself to them.

Some months were spent in Italy; but her strength, which had been
greatly tried by the work in London, again becoming enervated, and her
nursing duties being at an end, she proposed that she should go to
Switzerland and visit the deaconesses' institutions there. This plan