in her
voice.

"No," said Winifred, "I have left the choir."

"Really!" exclaimed Mrs. Butterworth in a shocked voice. "I hope not
for good?"

"Yes--I think it is for good," Winifred confessed.

"Oh, please do not say so!" cried Mrs. Butterworth, but in a suppressed
voice, for they had not yet left the church. "What shall we do? We
have enjoyed your singing so very much!"

"I am afraid I have been too conscious of that fact," said Winifred
frankly, while her mother looked alarmed. "I think I shall be able to
worship God more sincerely in the congregation."

Mrs. Gray felt that the worst had come, now that Winifred had declared
her position. She almost turned faint as she heard her speak to Mrs.
Butterworth so simply and directly of worshiping God. To be sure they
were still in the building supposably dedicated to that end, but to
speak aloud of it in so many words seemed very bad form. Her daughter
might sing protests of adoration in the ears of the whole congregation,
with the loudest of affected fervor, and she found no fault with it.
But the comfort of that was that nobody believed she meant it!

Mrs. Butterworth looked at Winifred keenly, and partially grasped her
meaning.

"Oh, I hope you'll not look at it that way," she said half soothingly.
"It might suit your own feelings better, but what about ours? I have
often said," and her eyebrows arched plaintively, "that your singing
did me more good than the sermon!"

Winifred looked at the worldly, fashionable woman and wondered, not at
all cynically, how much good her combined efforts with Doctor
Schoolman's had done toward a life-transformation.

"I am sorry not to sing," she said sympathetically, "since you enjoyed
it so much, I would gladly continue if I could. I cannot. But there
is already someone in my place--"

Mrs. Butterworth lifted her hand in silent protest. She looked at
Winifred reproachfully, and settled her lips as one who should say
nothing of the new singer in contrast with her favorite. She shook her
head resignedly, and at this moment they were joined by someone else
who proffered greetings. Winifred was glad to join Hubert and to slip
out as quickly as possible, they both as usual preferring the walk home
to the carriage. Frothingham saw them from afar, and inwardly
commented upon Hubert's unwonted appearance at church for two
consecutive Sundays, and his own consequent loss. He had no mind to
join Winifred with Huber