descriptions with a little playful archness, and his voice became more
cheery.

So, too, it was on the ensuing evening when Aurelia, to compensate for
the last day's neglect, came primed with three or four pages of the
conversation between Priam and Achilles, which she rehearsed with great
feeling, thinking, like Pelides himself, of her own father and home. It
was requited with a murmured "Bravo," and Mr. Belamour then begged of
her, if she were not weary, to favour him with the Nightingale Song,
Jumbo as usual accompanying her with his violin. At the close there was
again a "Bravo! Truly exquisite!" in a tone as if the hermit were really
finding youth and life again. Once more at his request, she sang, and
was applauded with even more fervour, with a certain tremulous eagerness
in the voice. Yet there was probably a dread of the excitement being
too much, for this was followed by "Thank you, kind songstress, I could
listen for ever, but it is becoming late, and I must not detain you
longer."

She found herself handed out of the room, with somewhat curtailed good
nights, although nine o'clock, her usual signal, had not yet struck.
When she came into the lamplit hall, Jumbo was grinning and nodding like
a maniac, and when she asked what was the matter, he only rolled his
eyes, and said, "Missie good! Mas'r like music!"

The repressed excitability she had detected made her vaguely nervous
(not that she would have so called herself), and as the next day was the
blank Sunday, she appeased and worked off her restlessness by walking
with the children to Sedhurst church. It was the sixteenth Sunday after
Trinity, and the preacher, who had caught somewhat of the fire of Wesley
and Whitfield, preached a sermon which arrested her attention,
and filled her with new thoughts. Taking the Epistle and Gospel in
connection, he showed the death-in-life of indifference, and the
quickening touch of the Divine Love, awakening the dead spirit into true
life. On that life, with its glow of love, hope, and joy, the preacher
dwelt with enthusiasm such as Aurelia had never heard, and which carried
her quite out of herself. Tears of emotion trembled in her eyes, and she
felt a longing desire to walk on in that path of love to her Maker, whom
she seemed to have never known before.

She talked with a new fervour to the children of the birds and flowers,
and all the fair things they loved, as the gifts of their Father in
Heaven; and when she