that sermon of all others.'

"'What do you mean?' he answered, rather irritably, for my gay mood
was clashing with his somber one.

"'Oh, the text will be, "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher. All
is vanity;" that will be your subject, Raby, will it not?'

"He turned round at that, and a smile dispelled his gravity; and then
he took my hand and put it on his arm, and held it gently there.

"'I think you have guessed my thoughts, Crystal,' he said, quietly,
'but not all of them. Do you know I have been thinking as we came
along that you and I, dear child, have reached the cross-roads of life
at last, where each must choose his or her path, and go on their way
alone.'

"'Oh, Raby,' I exclaimed in some distress as I pressed closer to him;
'what can you mean by saying anything so dreadful. I hope your path
and mine will always be the same.'

"'My dear,' he returned, gently--very gently; but there was pain and
some strange solemn meaning in his face--'I disappointed you last
night. You thought that I would not praise your finery or stoop to
flatter your innocent vanity, that I held myself aloof from your
girlish pleasure. Ah,' with a sudden change of tone, 'you little know
what brilliant vision haunted me last night and drove sleep from my
eyes; how it lured and tempted me from my sense of right; but God had
mercy on His poor priest, and strengthened his hands in the day of
battle.'

"The white abstracted look of his face, the low vehemence of his tone,
thrilled me almost painfully; never had Raby looked or spoken like
that.

"'No, my darling,' he went on, sorrowfully, 'I will never wrong the
child I have guided and protected all these years, or take advantage
of your youth and inexperience, by using my influence and condemning
you to a life for which you are not fitted. Go forth into the world
then, my Esther--did not Margaret compare you to Esther--make
experience of its pleasures, its trials, its seductions, its false
wooings, and its dazzling honors; if they tell you your beauty might
win a coronet they would be right.'

"'Raby!'

"'Hush! let me finish; go into the world that claims you, but if it
fail to please you--if it ever cast you away humbled and
broken-hearted, then come back to me, my darling, come back to Raby;
he will be praying for you here.'

"Shall I ever forget his tone; my tears fell fast as I listened to
him.

"'What do you mean?' I sobbed; 'how have I offended you? Why do you
propo