s, kindly
women, each not without some ambition of activity, but each a little
astray as to the way in which that activity should be shown. They
were both alone in the world, and Miss Baker during the last year or
two had become painfully so from the fact of her estrangement from
her old friend Miss Todd. They both wished to be religious, having
strong faith in the need of the comfort of religion; but neither of
them were quite satisfied with the Stumfoldian creed. They had both,
from conscience, eschewed the vanities of the world; but with neither
was her conscience quite satisfied that such eschewal was necessary,
and each regretted to be losing pleasures which might after all be
innocent.

"If I'm to go to the bad place," Miss Todd had said to Miss Baker,
"because I like to do something that won't hurt my old eyes of an
evening, I don't see the justice of it. As for calling it gambling,
it's a falsehood, and your Mr Stumfold knows that as well as I
do. I haven't won or lost ten pounds in ten years, and I've no
more idea of making money by cards than I have by sweeping the
chimney. Tell me why are cards wicked? Drinking, and stealing, and
lying, and backbiting, and naughty love-making,--but especially
backbiting--backbiting--backbiting,--those are the things that the
Bible says are wicked. I shall go on playing cards, my dear, till Mr
Stumfold can send me chapter and verse forbidding it."

Then Miss Baker, who was no doubt weak, had been unable to answer
her, and had herself hankered after the flesh-pots of Egypt and the
delights of the unregenerated.

All these things Miss Baker and Miss Mackenzie discussed, and Miss
Baker learned to love her younger friend in spite of her heterodox
philosophy. Miss Mackenzie was going to give a tea-party,--nothing as
yet having been quite settled, as there were difficulties in the way;
but she propounded to Miss Baker the possibility of asking Miss Todd
and some few of the less conspicuous Toddites. She had her ambition,
and she wished to see whether even she might not do something to
lessen the gulf which separated those who loved the pleasures of the
world in Littlebath from the bosom of Mr Stumfold.

"You don't know what you are going to do," Miss Baker said.

"I'm not going to do any harm."

"That's more than you can say, my dear." Miss Baker had learnt from
Miss Todd to call her friends "my dear."

"You are always so afraid of everything," said Miss Mackenzie.

"Of c