art, and it was an
easy matter for Rupert to lay his hand over Signe's fingers that rested
on the arm of her chair and draw them closely into his big palm.

"Signe," he said, "if we ever lived as intelligent beings in a
pre-existent state--and I now can not doubt it,--we two knew each other
there. Perhaps we were the closest friends, and I have just been letting
my imagination run wild in contemplating the possibilities."

"Let me tell you someting--thing. Did I get tha-at right?"

"You get the th as well as I, and the w's trouble you no more."

"Only sometimes I forget, I was going to say, you remember the first
night you came here?"

"I certainly do;" and he pressed her fingers a little closer.

"Well, I seemed to know you from the first. Though you looked bad and
like a tramp, I knew you were not, and I felt as if I had known you
before."

They were silent again, "reading life's meaning in each other's eyes."

Signe filled the stove from the box beside it.

"You remember that book you gave me to read the other day, Signe?"

"Yes; what do you think of it?"

"I have been thinking considerably about it. It sets forth gospel
doctrine altogether different from what I have ever heard; still it
agrees perfectly with what Christ and His disciples taught. You know, I
have always been taught that man is a kind of passive being, as regards
the salvation of his soul; that everything has been done for him; that,
in fact, it would be the basest presumption on his part to attempt to do
anything for himself; that man is without free agency in the matter;
that he is simply as a lump of clay, and with little more intelligence
or active powers."

"I know all about such teachings," said Signe, as she went for her
Bible. "They were drilled into me in the old country."

"Now," continued he, "I see that such doctrines lower man, who is, in
fact, a child of God. I cannot perceive that an Allwise Parent would
thus take away the agency of His children. We have a motto in school
which says: 'Self effort educates,' and I believe that to be the only
principle upon which we can safely grow, if we are to become like unto
our Eternal Father."

"Yes," answered Signe, "but you must remember one thing, that 'as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.' The
resurrection from the dead comes through Christ without any effort on
our part. We were not responsible for Adam's transgression, therefore we
are redeemed from i