tingly, "I have always played cards, in select
circles, being careful, of course, with whom I played; just as I am
careful with whom I associate, and, contrary to your supposition, I have
always supposed those people who frowned on such amusements to be a set
of narrow-minded fanatics. And I didn't know that Christian people did
frown on such amusements; though, to be sure, now that I think of it,
there are certain ones who never come to card-parties nor
dancing-parties. I guess the difficulty is that I have never thought
anything about it."

Marion was looking sober.

"The fact is," she said, gravely, "that with all my loneliness and
poverty and general forlornness, I have had a different bringing up from
any of you. My father did not believe in any of these things."

"And he was a Christian man," Flossy said, quickly. "Then he must have
had a reason for his belief. That is what I want to get at. What was
it?"

"He found it in an old book," said Marion, looking at her, brightly,
through shining eyes. "He found most of his knowledge and his hope and
joy in that same book. The Bible was almost the only book he had, and he
made much of that."

"And yet you hated the Bible!" Eurie said this almost involuntarily,
with a surprised tone.

"I hated the way in which people lived it, so different from my father's
way. I don't think I ever really discarded the book itself. But I was a
fool; I don't mind owning that."

Flossy brought them back to the subject.

"But about this question," she said. "The Bible was just where I went
for help, but I didn't find it; I looked in the Concordance for cards
and for amusements, and for every word which I could think of, that
would cover it, but I couldn't find anything."

Marion laughed again. This little morsel's ignorance of the Bible was to
this girl, who had been an avowed infidel for more than a dozen years,
something very strange.

"The Bible is a big book, darling," she said, still laughing. "But,
after all, I fancy you will find something about the principle that
governs cards, even if you cannot find the word."

Meantime Ruth had been for some minutes regarding Eurie's grave face and
attentive eyes, with no small astonishment in her gaze. At this point
she interrupted:

"Eurie Mitchell, what can be the matter with you? were you ever known to
be so quiet? I haven't heard you speak on this theme, or any other,
since you came into the room; yet you look as though you ha