Fannie and Julia
and Rosalie, and oh, _everyone_!"

A chorus of delighted cries greeted her, and immediately the two sisters
were swallowed up by a group of excited, clamoring schoolmates, while
Mrs. Campbell, from the background, watched the pretty tableau.

Suddenly the strains of the Doxology rolled out on the summer air
through the open church windows, followed by a brief silence, and then
the great doors swung open and the motley congregation thronged out into
the sunshine.

"Church is over," said Peace, as she saw the people hurrying past.
"Let's go inside."

"O, Peace," cried an eager voice at her elbow, as she climbed the stone
steps to the vestibule, "Miss Gordon told me to give this to you--"

"How'd she know I would be here?" demanded Peace aggressively.

"Why, Dr. Shumway told us--"

"I might have known someone would squeal," was the irritated reply. "Men
folks are worse than women about gabbling. They _never_ can keep their
mouths shut. I wanted to s'prise the people myself."

Miss Gordon's message-bearer drew back somewhat disconcerted by her
reception. But the cloud on the small face, growing rosy and round once
more, abruptly lifted, and Peace, with a gleam of mischief in her eyes,
inquired, "Did he tell you _his_ secret, too?"

"What secret? No, you tell us about it," they clamored.

The aisle was almost blocked at that point by the tall form of Dickson
Shumway, leaning on his cane, for his injured limb was none too strong
yet, and Peace purposely waited till she was directly behind him, when
she said in a shrill, high voice, which made everyone look and listen,
"Why, Dr. Shumway is going to marry my sister Gail as soon as ever he
can get her to settle the day. _Now_ will you give away any more of my
secrets, Dr. Dick?" For at the sound of her voice the young giant had
turned a startled face toward the delighted crowd at the door, but a
burst of tempestuous applause drowned whatever he might have replied;
and Peace, triumphant, slipped past him to her seat, while the
congregation showered him with congratulations.

Not until she had taken her place among her classmates did Peace find
time to glance at the scrap of paper which Miss Gordon's messenger had
thrust into her hand, and this is what she read:

"'The Handwriting on the Wall.' Dan. 5:25-27. Mene, Mene, Tekel,
Upharsin. Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."

Turning to the girl who had given her the bit of writin