om some fuller than usual mental
harmony, and the voice was of a silvery melody. It contrasted with the
other voices, which were more or less rough or grating or nasal, too
high pitched or low, and rough-cadenced, as uncultured voices are apt
to be. From the voices, Mr. Dillwyn's attention was drawn to what the
voices said. And here he found, most unexpectedly, a great deal to
interest him. Those rough voices spoke words of genuine intelligence;
they expressed earnest interest; and they showed the speakers to be
acute, thoughtful, not uninformed, quick to catch what was presented to
them, often cunning to deal with it. Mr. Dillwyn was in danger of
smiling, more than once. And Lois met them, if not with the skill of a
practised logician, with the quick wit of a woman's intuition and a
woman's loving sympathy, armed with knowledge, and penetration, and
tact, and gentleness, and wisdom. It was something delightful to hear
her soft accents answer them, with such hidden strength under their
softness; it was charming to see her gentleness and patience, and
eagerness too; for Lois was talking with all her heart. Mr. Dillwyn
lost his wonder that her class came out in the rain; he only wished he
could be one of them, and have the privilege too!

It was impossible but that with all this mental observation Mr.
Dillwyn's eyes should also take notice of the fair exterior before
them. They would not have been worthy to see it else. Lois had laid off
her bonnet in the hot little room; it had left her hair a little
loosened and disordered; yet not with what deserved to be called
disorder; it was merely a softening and lifting of the rich, full
masses, adding to the grace of the contour, not taking from it. Nothing
could be plainer than the girl's dress; all the more the observer's eye
noted the excellent lines of the figure and the natural charm of every
movement and attitude. The charm that comes, and always must come, from
inward refinement and delicacy, when combined with absence of
consciousness; and which can only be helped, not produced, by any
perfection of the physical structure. Then the tints of absolute
health, and those low, musical, sensitive tones, flowing on in such
sweet modulations--

What a woman was this! Mr. Dillwyn could see, too, the effect of Mrs.
Barclay's work. He was sure he could. The whole giving of that Bible
lesson betrayed the refinement of mental training and culture; even the
management of the voice t