the banished ones to be brought back? What
present steps could be taken for their restoration? Any attempt to
introduce the subject of his sister's marriage and present position in
his father's presence he felt would, as things now were, be worse than
useless. Once he attempted to draw the conversation in that direction;
but Mr Huntingdon, as soon as he became aware of the drift of his son's
observations, impatiently changed the subject. On another occasion,
when Walter plunged headlong into the matter by saying at tea-time to
his aunt, "Eh! what a long time it is since we saw anything of Julia. I
should so like to have her with us again; shouldn't you, auntie?" his
father, striking his clenched fist on the table, and looking sternly at
his son, said in a voice trembling with suppressed anger, "Not a word
again on that subject, Walter, unless you wish to drive me out of my own
house." So Amos's great purpose, his life-work to which he had
dedicated himself, his means, his best energies, seemed hopelessly
blocked.

The great hindrance was, alas! in that father whose heart must be
touched and subdued before any effectual and really onward steps could
be taken. But this barrier seemed to become daily more formidable.
"What am I to do, Aunt Kate?" Amos said, when discussing the matter
with Miss Huntingdon in private; "what can I do now?"

"Rather, dear Amos," replied his aunt, "must the question be, not so
much, `What can I do now?' as, `What must I do next?' Now it seems to
me that the next thing is just prayerfully and patiently to keep your
great purpose in view, and to be on the watch for opportunities, and God
will give success in due time.--Ah, here comes Walter." She repeated to
him what she had just been saying to his brother, and then continued,
"Now here we may bring in moral heroism; for it is a very important
feature in moral courage to wait steadily watching for opportunities to
carry out a noble purpose, and specially so when the way seems
completely, or to a great extent, hedged up."

"Examples, auntie, examples!" exclaimed Walter.

"You shall have them," she implied. "I have two noble heroes to bring
before you, and they both had the same glorious object in view, and went
steadily on in their pursuit of it when everything before them looked as
nearly hopeless as it could do. My two heroes are Clarkson and
Wilberforce.

"I daresay you remember that there was a time when slaves were as much
p