re to tell how tried, and dissatisfied
she had been with herself and her life, and her surroundings all the
week. She was not sympathetic by nature. She couldn't tell her inward
feeling to any one; but she could indorse heartily the discovery that
Marion had made.

"Well, I know one thing," said Eurie, "it requires twice the grace that
I supposed it did to get through with kitchen duties and exasperations
and keep one's temper. I shall think, after this, that mother is a saint
when she gets through the day without boxing our ears three or four
times around. Come, let's go to meeting."

It was Wednesday evening, and our four girls had met to talk over the
events of the week, and to keep each other countenance during their
first prayer-meeting.

"It is almost worse than going to Sunday-school," Eurie said, as they
went up the steps, "except that we can help ourselves to seats without
waiting for any attentions which would not be shown."

Now the First Church people were not given to going to prayer-meeting.
It is somewhat remarkable how many First Churches there are to which
that remark will apply. The chapel was large and inviting, looking as
though in the days of its planning many had been expected at the social
meetings, or else it was built with an eye to festivals and societies.
The size of the room only made the few persons who were in it, seem
fewer in number than they were.

Flossy had been to prayer-meeting several times before with a cousin who
visited them, but none of the others had attended such a meeting since
they could remember. To Eurie and Ruth it was a real surprise to see the
rows of empty seats. As for Marion she had overheard sarcastic remarks
enough in the watchful and critical world in which she had moved to have
a shrewd suspicion that such was the case.

"I don't know where to sit," whispered Flossy, shrinking from the gaze
of several heads that were turned to see who the new comers were. "Don't
you suppose they will seat us?"

"Not they," said Eurie, "Don't you remember Sunday? We must just put the
courageous face on and march forward. I'm going directly to the front. I
always said if ever I went to prayer-meeting at all, I shouldn't act as
though I was ashamed that I came." Saying which she led the way to the
second seat from the desk, directly in line with Dr. Dennis' eye.

That gentleman looked down at them with troubled face. Marion looked to
see it light up, for she said in her hea