hel,
I caught his hard and cunning eyes resting on her for a moment with a
peculiar interest and attention. She was plainly concerned in the object
that he had in view. He said nothing out of the common to her or to
anyone on leaving. He invited himself to luncheon the next day, and then
he went away to his hotel.

It was impossible the next morning to get my Aunt Ablewhite out of her
dressing-gown in time for church. Her invalid daughter (suffering from
nothing, in my opinion, but incurable laziness, inherited from her
mother) announced that she meant to remain in bed for the day. Rachel
and I went alone together to church. A magnificent sermon was preached
by my gifted friend on the heathen indifference of the world to the
sinfulness of little sins. For more than an hour his eloquence (assisted
by his glorious voice) thundered through the sacred edifice. I said to
Rachel, when we came out, "Has it found its way to your heart, dear?"
And she answered, "No; it has only made my head ache." This might have
been discouraging to some people; but, once embarked on a career of
manifest usefulness, nothing discourages Me.

We found Aunt Ablewhite and Mr. Bruff at luncheon. When Rachel declined
eating anything, and gave as a reason for it that she was suffering from
a headache, the lawyer's cunning instantly saw, and seized, the chance
that she had given him.

"There is only one remedy for a headache," said this horrible old man.
"A walk, Miss Rachel, is the thing to cure you. I am entirely at your
service, if you will honour me by accepting my arm."

"With the greatest pleasure. A walk is the very thing I was longing
for."

"It's past two," I gently suggested. "And the afternoon service, Rachel,
begins at three."

"How can you expect me to go to church again," she asked, petulantly,
"with such a headache as mine?"

Mr. Bruff officiously opened the door for her. In another minute more
they were both out of the house. I don't know when I have felt the
solemn duty of interfering so strongly as I felt it at that moment.
But what was to be done? Nothing was to be done but to interfere at the
first opportunity, later in the day.

On my return from the afternoon service I found that they had just got
back. One look at them told me that the lawyer had said what he wanted
to say. I had never before seen Rachel so silent and so thoughtful. I
had never before seen Mr. Bruff pay her such devoted attention, and look
at her with