t has she heard?" was the thrilling
question that each addressed to herself. When they summoned courage to
look up at her, they saw her standing with perfectly composed mien, her
pale face bearing the pensive expression it had worn for weeks. With
subdued and kindly manner she returned the affectionate greetings that
each bestowed on her, in imitation of Mrs. Tufis, who was the first to
recover her wits and then continued:

"Mrs. Tufis, I come to you, as president of this society, to apologize
for my absence from so many of your meetings, and to excuse myself on
the ground of indisposition." (Mrs. Grimes darted a significant look at
Elmira.) "I also want to announce that, as I have determined to join the
corps of nurses for the field hospitals, which Miss Dix, of New York, is
organizing, and as I will start for the front soon, I shall have to ask
you to excuse me from any farther attendance upon your meetings, and
drop my name from your roll."

She replied pleasantly to a flood of questions and expostulations, which
the crowd that gathered around poured upon her, and turning, walked
quietly away to her home.

Chapter VI. The Awakening.

The nobler nature within him stirred
To life, at that woman's deed and word.
-- Whittier.

Deeper emotions than he had felt before in all his life of shallow
aimlessness stirred Harry Glen's bosom as he turned away from the door
which Rachel Bond closed behind her with a decisive promptness that
chorded well with her resolute composure during the interview.

This blow fell much more heavily than any that had preceded it, because
it descended from the towering height to which he had raised his
expectations of an ardent greeting from a loving girl, eagerly watching
for his return.

As was to be expected from one of his nature, he forgot entirely his
ruminations upon the advisability of discarding her, and the difficulty
he experienced in devising a plan whereby this could be done easily
and gracefully. He only thought of himself as the blameless victim of a
woman's fickleness. The bitter things he had read and heard of the sex's
inconstancy rose in his mind, as acrid bile sometimes ascends in one's
throat.

"Here," he said to himself, "is an instance of feminine perfidy equal
to anything that Byron ever sneered at. This girl, who was so proud to
receive my attentions a little while ago, and who so gladly accepted
me for