a
troublemaker sometimes, and a disturber of spiritual peace--but still
there.

If they had forcibly ejected her, some of their most promising and
important members would have followed. But they could preach to her, and
so they did. Mayhap in time they would convert her and have her and her
numerous votaries for their own. As the reverend brother thundered out
his denunciations of the ungodly goddess he cast his eyes often in the
direction of the leading dancer, and from her they would wander to the
small fiddler who sat beside the tall hat in a back pew. But somehow
neither Lily nor Apollo seemed in the least conscious of any personal
appeal in his glance, and when finally the question of the Christmas
ball was put to vote, they both rose and unequivocally voted for it. So,
for that matter, did so large a majority that one of the elders got up
and proposed that the church hold revival meetings, in the hope of
rousing her people to a realization of her dangers. And then Lily
whispered something to her neighbor, a good old man of the church, and
he stood up and announced that Miss Lily Washington proposed to have the
revival _after Christmas_. There was some laughter at this, and the
pastor very seriously objected to it as thwarting the very object for
which the meetings would be held; and then, seeing herself in danger of
being vanquished in argument, Lily, blushing a fine copper-color in real
maidenly embarrassment, rose in the presence of the congregation, to say
that when she proposed to have the revival after Christmas, she "didn't
mean no harm." She was only thinking that "it was a heap better to
repent 'n to backslide."

This brought down the house, an expression not usually employed in this
connection, but which seems to force its way here as particularly
fitting. As soon as he could get a hearing the reverend brother gave out
a hymn, followed it with a short prayer, and dismissed the congregation.
And on the Sunday following he gave notice that for several reasons it
had been decided as expedient to postpone the revival meetings in the
church until _after Christmas_. No doubt he had come over to Lily's
way of thinking.

Lily was perfectly ravishing in her splendor at the dance. The white
Swiss frock she wore was high in the neck, but her brown shoulders and
arms shone through the thin fabric with fine effect. About her slim
waist she tied a narrow ribbon of blue, and she carried a pink feather
fan, and the w