e me. Tell me you do not want me to
stop loving you, Constance. You see, I do not ask any more of you. I
understand. But--let me go on loving you, dear heart, because that means
everything to me. It has guided me in everything I have done since that
day you came to me in _The Mass_ office. Constance, you do not really
want me to stop loving you?"

I was facing her now; kneeling to her, in my mind, though not in fact.
Her head was bowed toward me. Then she raised her glorious eyes, and
gave to me the full tender sweetness of them.

"No, Dick," she said, quite firmly, but soft and low; "I don't want you
ever to stop loving me."

Whatever else Fate brings or takes from me, I shall never lose the
lovely music of those words. That is mine for ever.

XIV

"FOR GOD, OUR RACE, AND DUTY"

Soldiers, prepare! Our cause is Heaven's cause;
Soldiers, prepare! Be worthy of our cause:
Prepare to meet our fathers in the sky:
Prepare, O troops that are to fall to-day!
Prepare, prepare.

Alfred shall smile, and make his harp rejoice;
The Norman William, and the learned Clerk,
And Lion-Heart, and black-browed Edward, with
His loyal queen shall rise, and welcome us!
Prepare, prepare.

BLAKE.

We had two other meetings before finally taking train for London; but
virtually our campaign was brought to an end at Guildford. Our
peregrination ended there, but the Canadian preachers continued their
pilgrimage till long afterwards. Scores of rich men were anxious to
finance these expounders of the new teaching, and even to build them
churches. But Stairs and Reynolds were both agreed in wanting no
churches. Their mission was to the public as a whole.

When we returned to our headquarters in London, the membership of _The
Citizens_ stood within a few hundreds of three million and a half of
able-bodied men. And still new members were being sworn in every day.
Some few of these members had contributed as much as five thousand
pounds to our funds. Very many had contributed a fifth of that sum, and
very many more had given in hundreds of pounds. There were some who gave
us pence, and they were very cordially thanked, giving as they did from
the slenderest of purses. There were women who had sold dresses and
jewels for us, hundreds of them; and there were little children whose
pocket-money had helped to swel