believe that one part of the church was more
sacred than another--she could not; but being a High-Church Episcopalian
now, she said to herself that she ought to; she even had appalling
visions of herself, sometimes, going as far as Rome. But the old spirit
of Calvinism was still on the ground, ready for many a wrestling match
yet; and stronger than all else were the old associations connected with
the square white meeting-house of her youth, which held their place
undisturbed down below all these upper currents of a new faith. William
Douglas was also a New-Englander, brought up strictly in the creed of
his fathers; but as Miss Lois's change of creed was owing to a change of
position, as some Northern birds turn their snow-color to a darker hue
when taken away from arctic regions, so his was one purely of mind,
owing to nothing but the processes of thought within him. He had drifted
away from all creeds, save in one article: he believed in a Creator. To
this great Creator's praise, and in worship of Him, he now poured forth
his harmonies, the purest homage he could offer, "unless," he thought,
"Anne is a living homage as she stands here beside me. But no, she is a
soul by herself; she has her own life to live, her own worship to offer;
I must not call her mine. That she is my daughter is naught to me save a
great blessing. I can love her with a human father's love, and thank God
for her affection. But that is all."

So he played his sweetest music, and Miss Lois fervently prayed, and
made no mistake in the order of her prayers. She liked to have a vocal
part in the service. It was a pleasure to herself to hear her own voice
lifted up, even as a miserable sinner; for at home in the old white
meeting-house all expression had been denied to her, the small outlet
of the Psalms being of little avail to a person who could not sing. This
dumbness stifled her, and she had often said to herself that the men
would never have endured it either if they had not had the
prayer-meetings as a safety-valve. The three boys were penned in at Miss
Lois's side, within reach of her tapping finger. They had decided to
attend service on account of the evergreens and Anne's singing, although
they, as well as Tita, belonged in reality to the flock of Father
Michaux. Anne never interfered with this division of the family; she
considered it the one tie which bound the children to the memory of
their mother; but Miss Lois shook her head over it, an