at the little desk before
mentioned; and even Maria was quiet enough during the prayer with which
he began the proceedings. But then Mr. Richmond came in front of the
desk, and began to speak seriously indeed, but with an easy simplicity
which Clarissa thought was "not like church."

"It may not be known to everybody present," Mr. Richmond began,
"exactly what was done at our last meeting here Thursday night. I wish
it to be very well understood, that every one may join with us in the
action we took, intelligently;--or keep away from it, intelligently. I
wish it to be thoroughly understood. We simply pledged ourselves, some
of us who were here Thursday night, to live and work for Christ to the
best and the utmost of our ability, as He would give us grace to do. We
pledged ourselves to each other and to our Master; to the end that we
might the better help each other, being so pledged; and that we might
enter into some system and plan of work by which we might accomplish
much more than we could hope to do without plan or system. I have a
list in my hand of various kinds of work which it may be well for us to
attempt; some kinds will suit some people, and other kinds will suit
other people; but before we go into a consideration of these, I will
read something else to you. We must do this thing--we must enter into
this pledge to God and each other, those of us who enter into
it,--knowing exactly what we do, and if possible, why we do it. I have
drawn up in a few words what we mean, or what we ought to mean, in
giving this pledge; and now I am going to read it to you; and after I
have read it I shall ask all of you who have heard it and agreed to it,
to rise up, without any regard to the question whether you were among
those who rose last Thursday or not. I wish no one to stand who does
not fully and intelligently agree to every word of this covenant;--but
I hope that will be the case with every one of you all. The children
can understand it as well as the grown people. This is the covenant:--

"'We are the servants of Christ.

"'And as He died for all, that they which live should not live unto
themselves but unto Him; so we do not count ourselves to belong to
ourselves. We are the Lord's.

"'We want to do all we can do, that would please Him and honour Him,
whether it be in our own hearts or in the world.

"'So we stand ready to do His will; in telling the good news to others;
in showing how precious we hold it; in ca