.. except I hope the people will
understand it."

Mr. Francis broke in.

"My dear sir, worship involves a touch of mystery. You must remember
that. It was the lack of that that made Empire Day fail in the last
century. For myself, I think it is admirable. Of course much must depend
on the manner in which it is presented. I see many details at present
undecided--the colour of the curtains, and so forth. But the main plan
is magnificent. It is simple, impressive, and, above all, it is
unmistakable in its main lesson---"

"And that you take to be--?"

"I take it that it is homage offered to Life," said the other slowly.
"Life under four aspects--Maternity corresponds to Christmas and the
Christian fable; it is the feast of home, love, faithfulness. Life
itself is approached in spring, teeming, young, passionate. Sustenance
in midsummer, abundance, comfort, plenty, and the rest, corresponding
somewhat to the Catholic Corpus Christi; and Paternity, the protective,
generative, masterful idea, as winter draws on.... I understand it was a
German thought."

Oliver nodded.

"Yes," he said. "And I suppose it will be the business of the speaker to
explain all this."

"I take it so. It appears to me far more suggestive than the alternative
plan--Citizenship, Labour, and so forth. These, after all, are
subordinate to Life."

Mr. Francis spoke with an extraordinary suppressed enthusiasm, and the
priestly look was more evident than ever. It was plain that his heart at
least demanded worship.

Mabel clasped her hands suddenly.

"I think it is beautiful," she said softly, "and--and it is so real."

Mr. Francis turned on her with a glow in his brown eyes.

"Ah! yes, madam. That is it. There is no Faith, as we used to call it:
it is the vision of Facts that no one can doubt; and the incense
declares the sole divinity of Life as well as its mystery."

"What of the figures?" put in Oliver.

"A stone image is impossible, of course. It must be clay for the
present. Mr. Markenheim is to set to work immediately. If the figures
are approved they can then be executed in marble."

Again Mabel spoke with a soft gravity.

"It seems to me," she said, "that this is the last thing that we needed.
It is so hard to keep our principles clear--we must have a body for
them--some kind of expression---"

She paused.

"Yes, Mabel?"

"I do not mean," she went on, "that some cannot live without it, but
many cannot. The unimaginative nee