ged the spirit of love, and who knows but
God would punish her by taking out of the family of man the passion by
which she fell, lifting it away with all that pertained to it--good and
bad, spiritual and sensual, holy and corrupt?

The burning heat clouds of the day seemed to have descended into the
church, and in the gathering darkness the preacher, his face just
visible, with its eyes full of smouldering fire, drew an awful picture of
the world under the effects of such a curse. A place without
unselfishness, without self-sacrifice, without heroism, without chivalry,
without loyalty, without laughter, and without children! Every man
standing alone, isolated, self-centred, self-cursed, outlawed, loveless,
marriageless, going headlong to degeneracy and death! Such might be God's
punishment on this cruel and wicked city for its sensual sins.

Then the preacher lost control of his imagination and swept his hearers
along with him as he fabricated horrible fancies. The people were
terror-stricken, and not until the last hymn was given out did they
recover the colour of their blanched faces. Then they sang as with one
voice, and after the benediction had been pronounced and they were
surging down the aisles in close packs, they started the hymn again.

Even when they had left the church they could not disperse. Out in the
square were the thousands who had not been able to get inside the doors,
and every moment the vast proportions of the crowd were swelled. The
ground was covered, the windows round about were thrown up and full of
faces, and people had clambered on to the railings of the church, and
even on to the roofs of the houses.

Somebody went to the sacristy and told the Father what was happening
outside. He was now like a man beside himself, and going out on to the
steps of the church where he could be seen by all, he lifted his hands
and pronounced a prayer in a sonorous and fervent voice:

"How long, O Lord, how long? From the bosom of God, where thou reposest,
look down on the world where thou didst walk as a man. Didst thou not
teach us to pray 'Thy kingdom come'? Didst thou not say thy kingdom was
near; that some who stood with thee should not taste of death till they
had seen it come with power; that when it came the poor should be
blessed, the hungry should be fed, the blind should see, the heavy-laden
should find rest, and the will of thy Father should be done on earth even
as it is done in heaven? But ni