ke their last
supper at Chautauqua. Not one of them grumbled over anything. Indeed,
they all agreed that the board had certainly improved very much during
the last few days, and that it was really remarkable that such a throng
of people could have been served so promptly and courteously, and on
the whole, so well, as had been done there. Still, it was strange to
have plenty of elbow room, and to see the waiters moving leisurely up
and down the long halls; no one in haste, no one kept waiting.

As they rose from table, a gentleman passed through; they had passed
each other every day for a week; they had no idea what his name was, and
I suppose he knew as little about them. But he paused before them:

"Good-bye," he said. And held out his hand, "I hope we shall all meet at
the assembly up there!"

"Good-bye," they answered, and they shook hands. None of them smiled,
none of them thought it strange; though they had never been introduced!
It was the Chautauqua brotherhood of feeling. But after two weeks of
experience and much practice in that line, it was impossible to rid
onesself of the feeling that one must hurry down to the stand in order
to secure seats; so they hurried, and had a new experience; they were
among the first twenty on the ground.

"The audience will be utterly lost to-night in this immense array of
seats;" Flossy said in dismay. "Doesn't it feel forlorn?" But they took
their seats, and presently came Miss Ryder and seated herself at the
piano in the twilight, and the tunes she played were soft and tender and
weird.

"Every note says 'goodbye,'" said Ruth, and she gave a little sigh.
Presently, the calcium lights began to glow, as usual, and meantime
though everybody was supposed to have left; still, the people came from
somewhere; and at last, dismayed voices began to say:

"Why! Did you ever see the like! I thought we should surely get good
seats to-night? Where _do_ all the people come from."

"Look! Marion," said Eurie. "What would Dr. Harris think of such a
congregation as this! They could not get into our church, could they?"
But just then the hymn claimed attention:

"My days are gliding swiftly by."

How swiftly these days had glided away. How full they had been! During
the prayer that followed, all heads bowed, and the silence that fell
upon them made it seem that all hearts joined. Dr. Vincent was the
first speaker. His manner and voice had changed. Both were subdued; he
looked like a