e, "in the absence of any other chairman I
take pleasure in introducing to you Miss Lucretia Penniman."

More applause was started, but Miss Lucretia put a stop to it by the
lifting of a hand. Then there was a breathless silence. Then she cast her
eyes around the hall, as though daring any one to break that silence, and
finally they rested upon Mr. Ives.

"Mr. Chairman," she said, with an inclination toward the judge, "my
friends--for I hope you will be my friends when I have finished" (Miss
Lucretia made it quite clear by her tone that it entirely depended upon
them whether they would be or not), "I understood when I came here that
this was to be a mass meeting to protest against an injustice, and not a
feast of literature and oratory, as Gamaliel Ives seems to suppose."

She paused, and when the first shock of amazement was past an audible
titter ran through the audience, and Mr. Ives squirmed visibly.

"Am I right, Mr. Chairman?" asked Miss Lucretia.

"You are unquestionably right, Miss Penniman," answered the chairman,
rising, "unquestionably."

"Then I will proceed," said Miss Lucretia. "I wrote the Hymn to Coniston'
many years ago, when I was younger, and yet it is true that I have always
remembered Brampton with kindly feelings. The friends of our youth are
dear to us. We look indulgently upon their failings, even as they do on
ours. I have scanned the faces here in the hall to-night, and there are
some that have not changed beyond recognition in thirty years. Ezra
Graves I remember, and it is a pleasure to see him in that chair." (Mr.
Graves inclined his head, reverently. None knew how the inner man
exulted.) "But there was one who was often in Brampton in those days,"
Miss Lucretia continued, "whom we all loved and with whom we found no
fault, and I confess that when I have thought of Brampton I have oftenest
thought of her. Her name," said Miss Lucretia, her hand now in the
reticule, "her name was Cynthia Ware."

There was a decided stir among the audience, and many leaned forward to
catch every word.

"Even old people may have an ideal," said Miss Lucretia, "and you will
forgive me for speaking of mine. Where should I speak of it, if not in
this village, among those who knew her and among their children? Cynthia
Ware, although she was younger than I, has been my ideal, and is still.
She was the daughter of the Rev. Samuel Ware of Coniston, and a
descendant of Captain Timothy Prescott, whom General Sta