n his ordinary dress, went with quick,
decided step up to the place; there dropped upon one knee, hiding his
face with his hand; without seeming to care where, and certainly
without remembering that there was nothing but an ingrain carpet
between his knee and the floor. But Eleanor knew what this man was
about; and an instant sense of sacredness and awe stole over her,
beyond what any organ-peals or richness of Gothic work had ever
brought. Then she rejoiced that she was where she was. To be there,
could not be wrong.

The house was full and still. The beginning of the service again was
the singing; here richer and fuller voiced than it had been in the
barn. Somebody else made the prayers; to her sorrow; but then Mr. Rhys
rose, and her eye and ear were all for him. She threw back her veil
now. She was quite willing that he should see her; quite willing that
if he had any message of help or warning for her in the course of his
sermon, he should deliver it. He saw her, she knew, immediately. She
rather fancied that he saw everybody.

It was to be a missionary sermon, Eleanor had understood; but she
thought it was a very strange one. The text was, "Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

The question was, "What are the Lord's things?"

Mr. Rhys seemed to be only talking to the people, as his bright eye
went round the house and he went on to answer this question. Or rather
to suggest answers.

Jacob's offering of devotion and gratitude was a tenth part of his
possessions. "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me,
and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat,
and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in
peace; then shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set
for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou shalt give me,
I will surely give the tenth unto thee."

Mr. Rhys announced this. He did not comment upon it at all. He went on
to say, that the commandment given by Moses appointed the same offering.

"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of
the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. And if
a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the
fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the
flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be
holy unto the Lord. He shall not search w