avage
and innocent as a child, is as nothing beside the interest of her
relations with us who formed for so long her little special world.
However, I cannot offer my scientist nor his distinguished colleague,
Professor J----s, a mere tangle of personal reminiscences, so I must
try to recall, as accurately as may be, the circumstances of
Margarita's introduction to orthodox Christianity. At Miss Jencks's
earnest petition Roger, who had grown really attached--as had we
all--to the good creature, had finally yielded and allowed her to
impart the outline of the New Testament story to her charge. I found
her later, a moist handkerchief crumpled in her hand and a tiny worn
leather volume on her lap.

"It didn't do, then?" I inquired sympathetically, for her plain,
competent face was more disturbed by grief than I had ever seen it.

"Mr. Jerrolds," she demanded seriously, "_do you think she has a
soul?_ Of course that is wrong," she added hastily, "and I should not
say such a thing, but do you know she treats it just like any other
story? It means nothing to her. She has no respect for the most sacred
things, Mr. Jerrolds!"

"But how could she have, dear Miss Jencks?" I urged gently. "They are
not sacred to her, you must remember. She is what you would call a
heathen, you know."

Miss Jencks folded her handkerchief thoughtfully.

"Yes, I know," she began, "but think, Mr. Jerrolds, think how gladly,
how gratefully the heathen receive the Gospel! I shall never forget
how the missionary described it that dined with the Governor-General
once. It was in Lent, I remember, and the poor man regretted that it
should be, he had eaten fish so steadily in the Islands! It was only
necessary for him to tell the simple Gospel story, and it won them
directly."

I bowed silently--it was at once the least and the most that I could
do.

"And more than that, Mr. Jerrolds," the good woman continued,
unburdening herself, clearly, of the results of many days of thought,
"look at those wonderful conversions in the slums! Look what this
Salvation Army is doing! The Governor-General used to say they were
vulgar and that it was all claptrap, but that never seemed to me quite
fair. We must have left something undone, we and the Dissenters, Mr.
Jerrolds, if this General B----h can reach people we have lost. Isn't
that so?"

To this I agreed heartily, and after a moment she went on.

"Why, the roughest, vilest men weep like children when they