him; and Andrew, who had stopped at
his word, came slowly back to us. Althea now rose from her place and
went towards him; her eyes were very bright, and there was unusual
colour in her cheeks; indeed she seemed carried quite out of herself,
yet she kept her queenly look and gait withal.

'Mr. Golding, said she, putting her hands on his arm, 'what means that
man by his farewell to you? Sure you are not befooled and led away by
his deceiving words to believe such madness as he speaks?'

Andrew started at her touch, like a man waking from a dream. He then
looked seriously at her, and said,--

'Madam, I cannot say yet how much I believe of yon good man's doctrine;
but I will not rest till I know more of it. If I find it to be as
heavenly true as it hath seemed to me this day, not all the joys and
glories of the world should hold me back from embracing it; at which
Althea, letting her hands fall from his arm, stood as if she were turned
into stone, her eyes remaining fixed on him sorrowfully. I suppose he
could not endure that look; for he turned away sharply and went out of
the hall.

'I feared this,' said Mr. Truelocke. He looked quite weary and spent.
'These men have a strange eloquence; and I cannot wonder that such
youths as our Andrew should think their words are indeed set off by some
superior Power,--the more, since none can deny that they preach what
they practise. I would I could have imbued all my hearers with a like
burning sincerity.'

This was nearly all I heard about that long conference of theirs; for
after some more lamentations over its ill result, which, Harry whispered
me, they might have expected, Mr. Truelocke departed with his son, and
Aunt Golding remained so troubled that I did not like to question her
about what had passed. But all the more was I curious to know what the
man's doctrine was; and on the first fair occasion I found, I began to
ask Andrew to describe it to me. Poor youth! he was mightily pleased
with my inquiry, thinking, doubtless, that it sprang from a real thirst
for truth like his own; and to the best of his power he complied with my
wish. I found he had not been altogether ignorant of this new teaching
for some months back.

'We English Christians,' said he, 'have fallen into many hurtful snares
by our lack of faith in God's great gift of the Holy Spirit, the mighty
boon which the risen Saviour promised to His followers, and which truly
came according to His word. I have of