ung relative who had lately taken orders, would be with him on
Christmas Eve, and assist him until his health should be improved. The
news was unwelcome to the older members of the congregation, who had
been so long accustomed to hear instruction from their aged pastor
that the thought of seeing another stand in his place was fraught with
pain to them. He had been truly their friend, sharing their joys and
sorrows--and their hearts were linked to him as childrens' to a
parent. At the baptismal font, the marriage altar, and the last sad
rites of the departed, he had presided, and it seemed as if the voice
of a stranger must strike harshly upon their ears. But to the young
there was pleasure in the thought of change; and though they dearly
loved the old man, the charm of novelty was thrown around their dreams
of his successor. No one knew his name, though rumor whispered that he
had just returned from England, where he had spent the last year. No
wonder, then, that we looked with critic eyes upon our work, eager to
know how it must appear to one who had traveled abroad, and lingered
among the rich cathedrals of our fatherland. Clara alone seemed
indifferent, and was often rallied on her want of interest in the
young stranger, I alone read her secret, as she glanced at the gem
which sparkled upon her finger, for I knew that her thoughts were with
the past--and Philip Sidney.

Christmas Eve arrived, as bright and beautiful as the winter nights of
the North. A light snow covered the ground, and the Frost King had
encrusted it with thousands of glittering diamonds. The broad expanse
of the valley was radiant in the moonbeams, and the branches of the
willows were glittering with frosty gems. The church was brilliantly
lighted, and the blaze from its long windows left a bright reflection
upon the pure surface of the snow. The merry ringing of sleigh-bells
were heard in every direction, and numerous sleighs deposited their
fair burden at the door. There was a general gathering of the young
people from ours and the neighboring villages, to witness the services
of the evening, and brighter eyes than a city assembly could boast,
flashed in the lamp-light. The garlands were more beautiful in this
subdued light than they had been in the glare of day, and their
richness was like a magic spell of beauty to enthrall the senses of
the beholder. Clara and I were seated in one of the pews directly in
front of the altar, occasionally lookin