her ignorance, she would not have said: "Why, she had been more excited
at an evening party a hundred times than she had thought of being then!"
She actually did not know that eagerness and zeal are proper enough at
parties, but utterly out of place in religion. Just in front of her sat
a young man who hummed in undertone the closing words of the covenant
song. It brought the tears again to Flossy's eyes. He turned suddenly
toward her.

"It was a pleasant service," he said. "Don't you think so?"

It was rather startling to be addressed by a strange young gentleman, or
would have been it his voice had not been so quiet and dignified, as if
it were the most natural thing in the world to compare notes with one
who had just come out from the great meeting.

"I don't know whether it was or not," she said, hurriedly. She could not
seem to decide whether she enjoyed it or hated it.

"It was blessed to me," the young man said, in quiet voice; and added in
undertone, as if speaking to himself only: "God was there."

"Do you feel that?" said Flossy, suddenly. "Then I wonder that you were
not afraid."

He turned toward her a pleasant face and said, earnestly:

"You would not be afraid of your father, would you? Well, God is my
Father, my reconciled Father;" And then, after a moment, he added: "It I
were not at peace with him, and had reason to think that he was angry
with me, then it would be different. Then I suppose I should be afraid;