ge of that element in his nature, I think; at least I
have never seen it. I don't feel afraid of him, either; once I thought I
should; but he is so gentle and pleasant, and meets one half way, and
understands what one wants to tell better than they understand
themselves. Oh, I like him ever so much. He is not sarcastic to me."

Marion looked down upon the fair little girl at her side with a smile
that had a sort of almost motherly tenderness in it, as she said,
gently:

"One would be a very bear to think of quizzing a humming-bird, you know.
It would be very silly in him to be sarcastic to you."

Eurie interrupted the talk:

"What is the matter with the prayer-meetings?" she asked. "Do any of you
know? I do wish we could do something to make them less forlorn. I am
almost homesick every time I go. If there were more people there the
room wouldn't look so desolate. Why on earth don't the people come?"

"Constitutionally opposed to prayer-meetings; or it is too warm, or too
damp, or too something, for most of them to go out," Marion said.

And Ruth added:

"It is not wonderful that you find sarcastic people in the world,
Marion. The habit grows on you."

"Does it," Marion asked, speaking with sadness. "I am sorry to hear
that. I really thought I was improving."

"The question is, can we do anything to improve matters?" Eurie said.
"Can't we manage to smuggle some more people into that chapel on
Wednesday evenings?"

"Invite them to go, do you mean?" Flossy said, and her eyes brightened.
"I never thought of that. We might get our friends to go. Who knows what
good might be done in that way? What if we try it?"

Ruth looked gloomy. This way of working was wonderfully distasteful to
her. She specially disliked what she called thrusting unpopular
subjects on people's attention. But she reflected that she had never yet
found a way to work which she did like; so she was silent.

Flossy, according to her usual custom, persistently followed up the new
idea.

"Let us try it," she said. "Suppose we pledge ourselves each to bring
another to the meeting next week."

"If we can," Marion said, significantly.

"Well, of course, some of us can," Eurie answered. "You ought to be able
to, anyway. There you are in a school-room, surrounded by hundreds of
people who ought to go; and in a boarding-house, coming in contact with
dozens of another stamp, who are in equal need. I should think you had
opportunities enough."

"