e good things in a drony, sleepy
tone. The piano was played by a homely young woman who wore
unfashionable clothes, and made frightful mistakes in the bass
occasionally; but that did not seem to trouble the singers, who sang
with the heart rather than with their voices.

Allison sat solemnly, and refrained from looking at his sister; but
both stole occasional glances at their aunt, and admired her new
clothes and the beautiful light on her face. For Julia Cloud felt as
if she were glimpsing into heaven and seeing her Lord in this bit of
communion with some of His saints; and, when she bowed her head in the
closing prayer, she was thanking Him for all His mercies in bringing
this wonderful change into her gray life, and giving her these two
dear children to love her and be loved by her. As she rose to come
out, her face was glorified by that vision on the mount.

The gentle-faced minister came and spoke to them, and welcomed them to
the church, although Allison told him quite curtly that they were only
passing through the town; but Julia Cloud trod the neat brown ingrain
carpet of the aisle as if it were golden pavement.

"Of all the stupid places!" said Allison as they got into the car.
"What do they have prayer meetings for, anyway? Did you manage to keep
awake, Cloudy?"

And suddenly like a pall there fell upon Julia Cloud's bright soul the
realization that these children did not, would not, feel as she did
about such things. They had probably never been taught to love the
house of God, and how was she ever to make them see? Perhaps it had
been prosy and dull to one who did not hear the Lord's voice behind
the Bible words. Perhaps the old minister had been long and tiresome,
and the children were weary with the journey and sleepy; she ought not
to have let them stop now; and she began to say how sorry she was.
But, when they saw from her words that she had really enjoyed that
dull little meeting, they were silent.

"Well, Cloudy, I'll hand it to you," said Allison at last. "If you
could stand that meeting and enjoy it, you're some Christian! But I'm
glad for one that we went if you liked it; and I guess, if you can go
a football game now and then, I ought to be able to stand a prayer
meeting. So now here goes for seeing the town. It's only nine o'clock,
and I believe that's the college up there on the hill where all those
lights are. Shall we drive up there?"

The car slipped through the pleasant evening street