thought became
insupportable; and then, having come to one settled determination, put
on her hat, covered her tear-stained face with a veil, and walked down
the hill to the parsonage, and rang the bell with a nervous jerk.
Whatever Etta did she did with a will; she made no halfway decisions.

The servant who admitted "Miss Etta" showed her into the pastor's study,
where after a time he joined her, looking a little surprised at
receiving such a visitor on Sunday afternoon. Etta's peculiarities,
however, were well known, and he concluded she had some new project in
her head, in which she desired his assistance and, as usual, could not
wait a moment to put it into execution. He was rather surprised by the
tear-swollen eyes and the resolute expression of face, and after
courteously welcoming his visitor, waited somewhat impatiently to hear
what she had to say.

"I came," said the girl, with her usual directness, "to ask you to give
my Sunday-school class to some one else."

"Tired of holding your hand to the plow, and beginning to look back
already, eh?" he said.

"No, sir, it isn't that; but I am not fit to teach any class; certainly
not such a one as this. I don't myself know what those girls ought to
learn; besides, I'm not a fit character for them to imitate."

"Not a fit character? What can you mean?"

So far Etta had spoken quite steadily, but now there came a tremor into
her voice, a mist before her eyes, and a choking sensation in her
throat, that would not let her speak.

He waited a few moments, then said gently: "Try to tell me about it, and
I will help you if I can."

Encouraged by something fatherly in the clergyman's voice, the girl at
last found courage to commence her story; and having broken the ice, her
words came fluently enough, as she tried to make him understand how
utterly self-seeking and godless her life and character were; how the
temple that should be God's was barred against him, and filled with
idols and idolatry.

"This must be the Holy Spirit's teachings," said he, gravely; "for, so
far as I know, you are no worse or more careless than most girls of
your age."

But this thought was no comfort to her thoroughly aroused conscience,
nor did the minister suppose it would be. He continued:

"Now that you see how bad things are, you are going to change them, are
you not? You will open the barred doors that our blessed Lord wants to
enter, and let him henceforth be your one object of wo