l, but had never gone through the process of
conversion, so that Rosa Willis had horrified Ella by pronouncing her
'not a Christian.' She had no objection to show her English friends
the way to the favourite Episcopal Church, especially as it was
esteemed fashionable; and her passion for Averil had retained her
there, with growing interest, drawn on by Averil's greater precision of
religious knowledge, and the beauty of the Church system, displayed to
her as the one joy and relief left to one evidently crushed with
suffering. The use of Averil's books, conversations with her, and the
teaching she heard, disposed her more and more to profess herself a
member of the Episcopal Church, and she was unable to enter into
Averil's scruples at leading her to so decided a step without her
father's sanction. 'Father would be satisfied whatever profession she
made. Did people in England try to force their children's
consciences?' Cora, at Averil's desire, ascertained that Massissauga
had as yet no place of worship of its own; but there was a choice of
chapels within a circuit of five miles, and an Episcopal Church seven
miles off, at the chief town of the county. Moreover, her father
declared that the city of Massissauga would soon be considerable enough
to invite every variety of minister to please every denomination of
inhabitant. Averil felt that the seven miles off church was all she
could reasonably hope for, and her mind was clear on that score, when
Henry came to take her out walking for the sake of being able to talk
more freely.

No longer afraid of being overheard, he gave kind attention to
Leonard's letter; and though he turned away from the subject sooner
than she wished, she was not exacting. Again he laid before her the
advantages of their migration, and assured her that if there were the
slightest risk he would be the last to make the proposal. She asked if
it were safe to invest money in a country apparently on the eve of
civil war?

He laughed the idea to scorn. How could the rebel states make war,
with a population of negroes sure to rise against their masters? Where
should their forces come from? Faction would soon be put down, and the
union be stronger than ever. It was what Averil had been hearing
morning, noon, and night, so no wonder she believed it, and was ashamed
of a futile girlish fear.

And was Henry sure it was a healthy place? Had she not heard of
feverish swamps in Indiana?

Oh yes,