said her father. Dolly looked up at
him and smiled.

"Then of course you would not interfere with anything the chaplain
does?" she said.

"Only not preach," said her father in the same tone. "I don't approve
of any but licensed preaching. And that one need not hear unless one
has a mind to."

"I let the Bible do the preaching, generally," said Dolly. "But we do
pray, father."

"Who?" said Mr. Copley quickly. "Your mother and you? Everybody prays,
I hope, now and then."

"We do it now, and then too, father. Or rather, _I_ do it now, after
reading."

Mr. Copley made no reply; and Dolly went on, feeling that the way was
open to her, if it were also a little difficult to tread. She read part
of the chapter, feeling every word through and through. Alas, alas,
alas! The "poor in spirit," the "pure in heart," the "meek,"--where
were these? and what had their blessing to do with the ears to which
she was reading? The "persecuted for righteousness' sake,"--how she
knew her father and mother would lay that off upon the martyrs of olden
time, with whom and their way of life, they thought, the present time
has nothing to do! and so, with the persecuted dismiss the meek and the
pure. The blessings referred certainly to a peculiar set of persons; no
one is called on in these days to endure persecution. Dolly knew how
they would escape applying what they heard to themselves; and she knew,
with her heart full, what they were missing thereby. She went on,
feeling every word so thrillingly that it was no wonder they came from
her lips with a very peculiar and moving utterance; that is the way
with words that are spoken from the heart; and although indeed the
lovely sentences might have passed by her hearers, as trite or
unintelligible or obsolete, the inflexions of Dolly's voice caught the
hearts of both parents and stirred them involuntarily with an answering
thrill. She did not know it; she did know that they were very still and
listening; and after the reading was done, though she trembled a
little, her own feelings were so roused that it was not very difficult
for Dolly to kneel down by the table and pray.

But she had only scanty opportunities of working upon her father in
this or in any way; Mr. Copley's visits to Brierley, always short,
began now to be more and more infrequent.

As weeks went on and the spring slipped by, another thing was
unmistakable about these visits; Mr. Copley brought less money with
him. Through