he chapel."

"Isn't that revivalist preacher enough to run it for a while?" said her
companion, half-sneeringly.

The remark was not a tactful one.

"Mr. Seabright hasn't been here for a month," she answered somewhat
quickly. "But he's coming next Sunday, and I'm glad of it. He's a very
good man. And there's nothing he don't notice. He saw how silly it was
to stick the chapel into the very heart of the woods, and he told them
so."

"And I suppose he'll run up a brand-new meeting-house out on the road,"
said Braggs, smiling.

"No, he's going to open up the woods, and let the sun and light in, and
clear out the underbrush."

"And what's that for?"

There was such an utter and abrupt change in the speaker's voice and
manner--which until then had been lazily fastidious and confident--that
Cissy was startled. And the change being rude and dictatorial, she was
startled into opposition. She had wanted to say that the improvement had
been suggested by HER, but she took a more aggressive attitude.

"Brother Seabright says it's a question of religion and morals. It's a
scandal and a wrong, and a disgrace to the Word, that the chapel should
have been put there."

Don Eliseo's face turned so white and waxy that Cissy would have noticed
it had she not femininely looked away while taking this attitude.

"I suppose that's a part of his sensation style, and very effective," he
said, resuming his former voice and manner. "I must try to hear him some
day. But, now, in regard to your coming here, of course I shall consult
your aunt, although I imagine she will have no objection. I only wanted
to know how YOU felt about it." He again laid his hand on hers.

"I should like to come very much," said Cissy timidly; "and it's very
kind of you, I'm sure; but you'll see what auntie says, won't you?" She
withdrew her hand after momentarily grasping his, as if his own act had
been only a parting salutation, and departed.

Aunt Vashti received Cissy's account of her interview with a grim
satisfaction. She did not know what ideas young gals had nowadays, but
in HER time she'd been fit to jump outer her skin at such an offer from
such a good man as Elisha Braggs. And he was a rich man, too. And ef he
was goin' to give her an edication free, it wasn't goin' to stop
there. For her part, she didn't like to put ideas in young girls'
heads,--goodness knows they'd enough foolishness already; but if Cissy
made a Christian use of her gifts, and