him as if there were
some sort of attractive power about him which was unaccountably strong,
and he felt quite interested in the prospect of hearing him preach on
the following Sunday.

While on deck the previous day, he had seen the figures of two ladies,
whom he rightly judged to be the family above referred to, but as there
was nearly the whole distance of the ship's length between them, he
could not distinguish their faces.

On taking his place when Sunday came, he observed that the family were
present, seated, however, in such a position that he could only see
their backs. Speculating in a listless way as to what sort of faces
they had, he whiled away the few minutes before the service began.

He was recalled from this condition by the tones of the clergyman's
voice, which seemed to have the same effect on him as his look and
manner had the day they first met. During the sermon Miles's attention
was riveted, insomuch that he almost forgot where he was. The text was
a familiar one--"God is Love,"--but the treatment of it seemed entirely
new: the boundless nature of that love; its incomprehensible and
almighty force; its enduring certainty and its overwhelming immensity,
embracing, as it did, the whole universe in Christ, were themes on which
the preacher expatiated in a way that Miles had never before dreamed of.

"All subordinate love," said the preacher, in concluding, "has its
source in this. No wonder, then, that it is spoken of in Scripture as a
love `which passeth knowledge.'"

When the men rose to leave, it could be easily seen that they were
deeply impressed. As they went out slowly, Miles passed close to the
place where the ladies sat. The slighter of the two was talking in a
low tone to her companion, and the young soldier was struck with the
wonderful resemblance in her tone to that of the preacher. He wondered
if her face also resembled his in any degree, and glanced back, but the
head was turned away.

"I like that parson. He has got _brains_," remarked Sergeant Hardy, as
he walked along the deck with Sergeant Gilroy and Corporal Flynn.

"Sur' an' I like him too," said the corporal, "for he's got _heart_!"

"Heart and brains," returned Gilroy: "a grand combination! What more
could we want?"

"Don't you think that _tongue_ is also essential?" asked Miles. "But
for the preacher's eloquence his heart and brain would have worked in
vain."

"Come now, John Miles, don't you be risin' up