; she had
been deep in the meaning that God sent to her own soul.

But when Leslie finally stirred and greeted her, Julia Cloud looked up
with a smile of peace; and there was no longer a little line of worry
between her straight brows.

The peace lasted all through the morning, and went with her down to
breakfast; and something of her enjoyment of the day seemed to pervade
the atmosphere about her and extend to the two young people. They
hovered about her, anxious to please, and a trifle ill at ease at
first lest they should make some mistake about this day that seemed so
holy to their aunt and had always been to them nothing but a bore to
get through with in the jolliest way possible.

There was no question about going to church. They just went. Leslie
and Allison had never made a practice of doing so since they had been
left to themselves. It had not been necessary in the circle in which
they moved. When they went to school, and had to go to church, they
evaded the rule as often as possible. But somehow they felt without
being told that if they tried to remain away now it would hurt their
aunt more than anything else they could do; and, while they were
usually outspoken and frank, they both felt that here was a time to be
silent about their habits.

"We're going to church," said Allison in a low tone as he drew his
sister's chair away from the breakfast-table. His tone had the quality
of command.

"Of course," responded Leslie quietly.

It was so that Julia Cloud was spared the knowledge that her two dear
young people did not consider it necessary to attend church every
Sabbath, and her peace was not disturbed.

The sermon in the little stucco church where they had gone to prayer
meeting that first night was not exceedingly enlivening nor uplifting.
The minister was prosy with dignity, soaring into occasional flights
of eloquence that reminded one of a generation ago. There was nothing
about it to bring to mind the sweetness of a Sabbath communion with
Christ, nothing to remind a young soul that Christ was ready to be
Friend and Saviour. It was rather a dissertation on one of the
epistles with a smack of modern higher criticism. The young people
watched the preacher a while listlessly, and wished for the end; but a
glance at the quiet, worshipful face of their aunt kept them
thoughtful. Julia Cloud evidently had something that most other people
did not have, they said to themselves, some inner light that shon