t it seems to me _this_ is this."

"No, Norton; it means the door spoken of in the Bible--in the New
Testament;--don't you know? don't you remember?"

"Not a bit," said Norton. "I can't say, Pink, but it _seems_ to me this
is not just exactly the place for you to come to Sunday school. Don't
look like it."

"Mr. Richmond told me to come here, you know, Norton."

But Norton looked with a disapproving eye upon what he could see of the
neighbourhood; and it is true that nobody would have guessed it was
near such a region as Blessington avenue. The houses were uncomely and
the people were poor; and more than that. There was a look of positive
want of respectability. But the little boy who was keeping the door was
decent enough; and presently now he opened the door and stood by to let
Norton and Matilda pass in.

There they found a large plain room, airy and roomy and light, filled
with children and teachers all in a great breeze of business. Everybody
seemed to be quite engrossed with something or other; and Norton and
Matilda slowly went up one of the long aisles between rows of classes,
waiting and looking for somebody to speak to them. The children seemed
to have no eyes to give to strangers; the teachers seemed to have no
time. Suddenly a young man stood in front of Norton and greeted the two
very cordially.

"Are you coming to join us?" he asked with a keen glance at them. And
as they did not deny it, though Norton hardly made an intelligible
answer, he led them up the room and at the very top introduced them to
a gentleman.

"Mr. Wharncliffe, will you take charge of these new comers? For to-day,
perhaps it will be the best thing."

So Norton and Matilda found themselves at one end of a circular seat
which was filled with the boys and girls of a large class. Very
different from themselves these boys and girls were; belonging to
another stratum of what is called society. If their dress was decent,
it was as much as could be said of it; no elegance or style was within
the aim of any of them; a faded frock was in one place, and a patched
pair of trowsers in another place, and not one of the little company
but shewed all over poverty of means and ignorance of fashion. Yet the
faces testified to no poverty of wits; intelligence and interest were
manifest on every one, along with the somewhat spare and pinched look
of ill supplied appetites. Norton read the signs, and thought himself
much out of place. Matilda read