o let her heart
dwell on the "better part," on which she now set a truer value. A more
perceptible regard for it, indeed, pervaded, the whole family, and
Bessie and her brother were, both of them, Sunday-school teachers now.

Mrs. Ford and Bessie were much shocked at the change in Stella, whose
blooming appearance they well remembered. Lucy, had become so
accustomed to her cousin's altered looks, that she thought her looking
rather better than usual, under the influence of the change and
excitement. But Mrs. Ford shook her head mournfully over her in
private. "She looks to me in a decline," she said to her husband.
"I'm afraid she hasn't many years before her in this world!"

But another change besides the external one had come over her, so
gradually that Lucy had not observed it till now, when the place
brought back so vividly the recollection of the gay, flippant Stella
of old. She had certainly grown more thoughtful, more quiet, even more
serious; and Lucy observed that her former levity had quite departed,
and that a flippant remark never now fell from her lips. Her old
wilfulness of manner continued to characterize her, but it was owing
chiefly to the caprice of disease. She was shy of joining in religious
conversation, but seemed to listen with great interest whenever Lucy
and Bessie spoke to each other of things connected with the "life
hidden with Christ in God." At such times she would look as if she
were trying to gain a clue to a mystery which puzzled, and yet
intensely interested her.

It was with mingled pleasure and sadness that Lucy once more took her
seat in her father's church, and listened to the voice of another from
his old pulpit. His successor, Mr. Edwards, though a man of a
different stamp, resembled him a good deal in the earnestness of his
spirit and the simplicity of his gospel preaching. The message was the
same, though the mode of delivering it was slightly different. He
received with kindness and courtesy the daughter of his predecessor,
and invited her during her stay to take a share in the teaching of the
Sunday school,--an invitation which she willingly accepted, and had
the pleasure of finding in her new class a few of her old scholars.

As Stella had a fancy for seeing the Sunday school, Lucy accepted the
invitation, given to them both by Mr. Edwards, to spend with his
family the interval between the morning and evening service. Stella's
zeal for seeing the Sunday school, however, d