Clad in the white garments
of Righteousness, we may keep the tryst as Ederyn kept it, and bring to
the King the white pearls of a well-spent life. Days unstained by
selfishness, days filled up with duties faithfully performed. It matters
not how small and commonplace our efforts seem, the rice and the pigeons
of the poor showed Kublan Kahn his subjects' loyalty as fully as the
ivory carvings and the costly broidered garment. Nor doth the great King
regard one gift of ours above another, so long as all be white. If only
on our breasts the tokens Duty gives us spell out the words, '_semper
fidelis_,' then ours will be the royal accolade: 'Well done, thou good
and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' To give
_ourselves_, unstained and gladly, thus may we keep the White Feast on
the birthday of the King."

Then the choir stood again, but Lloyd scarcely noticed what it sang. She
was thinking of the bishop's story, and her secret hidden away in the
sandalwood box. She was so glad now that she had strung the pearls. She
had begun it because it pleased her fancy to act out the story of
Ederyn, but now the sacred meaning the old bishop gave the story
thrilled her through and through. The King's call suddenly seemed very
sweet and personal. Henceforth she would string the pearls in answer to
that call.

When they all knelt in the closing prayer, she fervently echoed the
bishop's petition: "Grant that we make of this Christmastide a White
Feast, and that all our days may be worthy of thy acceptance, unstained
by selfishness and full of deeds to show our love and loyalty."

The white-robed choir filed slowly out, their music sounding fainter and
fainter until it died away across the campus, and the white-robed
audience was left kneeling in silence. There were tears in Gay's eyes
when she arose. Such music always stirred her to the depths. Kitty went
back to her room humming one of the carols, and Betty stole away to
write the bishop's sermon in her little white record, while the memory
of it was still warm in her heart.

At Miss Gilmer's request, Lloyd waited a moment in the vestibule. At
first she wished that Miss Gilmer had not detained her. She wanted to go
on with Allison, who had her by the arm. Afterward, however, she was
glad of the waiting. It gave her an opportunity to meet the venerable
bishop.

"So you are going home to-morrow for the holidays," he said, genially,
as he held out his hand. "Godspe