terest in, the beautiful building and the
well-conducted services.

Thus the factory-girls went to the woods on Saturday afternoon for
golden-rod and ferns; the humblest families robbed their cottage gardens
of the few bright flowers they contained; and the boys gave willing
assistance to Etta and her class in arranging and putting up the
decorations. The whole congregation joined in singing the hymns and such
of the chants as were familiar, and rarely had the singing been
heartier.

The service was over and the sermon, and then, as the last hymn was
sung, the call was given for the candidates to come forward in answer to
the reading of their names. How many of them there were! Even those who
had prayed most earnestly and labored most actively were surprised at
the result. There were six of the elder girls composing Miss Eunice's
Bible-class (the others were already communicants); four of her
brother's boys; Etta and her whole class of seven,--making eighteen from
the Sunday-school. But there were also quite a number of young men who
worked in the factory, who had been largely won by James Mountjoy's
honor and integrity, added to manly Christianity; and some young women,
and even elder ones, with one or two heads of families, who had been led
by the indefatigable efforts of the pastor thus to openly acknowledge
Christ.

The girls were not as a rule dressed in any particular manner. Etta,
indeed, and one or two others, were in white, because it happened to be
more convenient and suitable, but neither Mr. Morven nor Miss Eunice
wished to have the consciousness of dress interfere with the solemn
thoughts of self-dedication and renunciation of the world appropriate to
the occasion. Even with Bertie Sanderson, who had come home a few days
before, "old things had so passed away," that she wore a simple blue
gingham, much plainer, and at the same time much more becoming, than the
costume in which she had originally appeared at the mill. The solemn
questions were asked and answered; the personal vows taken; earnest,
solemn prayers uttered and words of wise counsel said, to be long
remembered and heeded and acted upon in life's coming battles; and then,
with a burst of joyful song, the solemn service was over, and those
engaged in it went out from the sacred precincts to fulfil the vows and
exercise the grace among the common scenes and homely details of daily
life. To many, nay, to most, life would not be one continuous comm