swered Minnie, wondering what was coming next.

"Then she won't be annoyed if we go on with what we were talking about.
You see," he said turning to Mabel, "I can't bear to leave anything half
done, and I don't see how I'm to get through this without Minnie's
help."

Mabel apologised for interrupting them, and begged that they would not
mind her presence at all.

"O, but we shall," said Archie smiling, "for perhaps you may help
us--me, at any rate, to understand what Minnie is trying to teach me."

"And what may that be?" enquired Mabel, "I am afraid there is little
hope for my success if Minnie fails."

"The way to Heaven," replied Archie without a moment's hesitation. To an
ordinary observer her face would not have displayed any emotion, but the
boy's keen eyes noticed how the shadows deepened in hers, and that her
voice trembled a little as she answered that no one was better able to
do that than Minnie.

"Well, I'm not so sure of that," he remarked, "Minnie has not had any
difficulties herself, you see, and she can't understand how any one else
can have any either. As she says herself she just took the salvation
when it was offered her and God did the rest. That's easy enough--or
looks so at the first glance, but when you come to try it, why, there's
nothing more difficult in the whole world. It's just like Columbus and
his friends turned the other way. They said it was impossible at first,
and when he showed them they cried 'How easy!' we think, 'How easy!' But
when we come to try we find it almost impossible."

"And soon," interrupted Minnie, "you will be wondering at yourself
because you did not see it immediately."

After this the three had a long and earnest conversation, but Archie did
not seem to get any nearer a solution of his difficulties, and at last
decided to go in search of Edward Laurence, who might help him he
thought.

Minnie was a good deal disappointed that she could not make things clear
to Archie, but feeling assured by his earnestness that he would not long
remain in the dark, she brightened up, and gave Mabel an account of how
the strike had been averted.

Mabel's delight at this good news was in no way less than Minnie's had
been, and for the first time since its occurrence, Minnie allowed
herself to taste the fruit of her labour.

"And O, Mabel!" she exclaimed when they had talked about it till she
felt it was too dangerously pleasant. "I didn't think of it before, but
now the