tilda was never a passionate
child, but she had been pleasure-loving and wayward. That was changing
now; and Matilda was giving earnest care to her school-work.

The desired evening for the "Band meeting" came, and the young people
all went duly to the lecture-room; though Maria reminded her sisters
that they did not belong there. Letitia and Anne chose to go in spite
of that fact. The room, though not full, was filled towards the upper
end; so the party were divided, and it happened that Matilda placed
herself apart from her sisters, in the front, at the end of a seat near
to Mr. Richmond. He was there already, standing by the little desk.

After the prayer and singing, Mr. Richmond declared that they were come
together for a talk; and he meant to make it a talk. He should ask
questions when he chose, and everybody else might exercise the same
liberty.

"We are going to try to understand things," he said; "and by that
somewhat vague expression I mean things connected with our covenant
that we have made, and the work we have undertaken. Our covenant begins
with the words, 'We are the servants of Christ.' Let us know exactly
what we mean. What is it to be a servant of Christ? What is a servant,
in the first place?"

There was hesitation; then an answer from somewhere,--"He is somebody
who does what he is told."

"That would be a good servant," said Mr. Richmond, smiling; "but it
will do. He is one who acts under the will of another, doing the work
of another. A servant of Christ--what does he do?--and how does he do
it?"

There was no answer this time.

"Let us look," said Mr. Richmond. "In the first verse of the first
chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, Paul calls himself a servant of
Jesus Christ; and in the ninth verse he says that he serves 'with his
spirit.' Here is a mark. The service of Christ, you see, is in the
first instance, not outward but inward. Not hand work, nor lip work,
nor money giving; but service _in the spirit_. What is that?

"It is having your will the same with God's will.

"So now look and see. We all pledged ourselves the other night to do a
great many sorts of outward service; good in themselves, and right and
needful to do. But the first question is, Are we ourselves the servants
of Christ? Do we in heart love and obey and agree to His will? If we
are not doing that, or trying to do it, our other service is no service
at all. It is a lie, and no service at all. Or it is service o