acquirements and Christian
character for such a position. It required much thought and prayer
on Dr. Swain's part before she could signify her acceptance of the
call, and during the three months of delay in giving her answer
the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, of which she was a member, was organized. Naturally she
preferred to go under the auspices of her own denomination, and
the Union Missionary Society gracefully and generously accepted
her decision.

Confident that she was obeying the call of God, she set about her
preparations for the long journey before her in a cheerful spirit,
answering the demurs of her friends with, "It is God's call. I
must go." She was greatly cheered when she found that Miss
Isabella Thoburn, whose brother (now Bishop Thoburn) had been some
years in India, was to be her traveling companion. They sailed
from New York November 3, 1869, and arrived in Bareilly January
20, 1870, during the annual conference of the Methodist Mission.

APPOINTMENT TO BAREILLY

The two ladies, whose previous slight acquaintance had ripened
into warmest friendship during their weeks of journeying together,
had hoped that they might be associated together in mission work,
but it was not so to be. Miss Thoburn was appointed to educational
work in Lucknow, and Dr. Swain found that she was to remain in
Bareilly. This appointment gave her the opportunity to begin her
medical work at once, for there were not only the girls'
orphanage, for which Mrs. Thomas had so long desired efficient
medical help, but scores of Christian women who could not go to
the city hospital. In addition to these, there was the class of
fourteen intelligent Christian girls that had for two years been
receiving excellent preparatory training from Mrs. Thomas, who had
fully believed that her prayer for a lady doctor would be answered
and that these girls would yet have the opportunity for the study
of medicine. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were well acquainted with several
of the wealthy and influential natives of the city, and Mrs.
Thomas welcomed the opportunity to introduce her doctor friend to
these homes.

There was no lack of patients for the new doctor; for in addition
to her work in the orphanage and her medical class, calls to
native homes in the city became more and more frequent. At the end
of the first six weeks after her arrival in Bareilly, Dr. Swain's
note book recorded one hundred and eigh