health, and rose to go.

Her fly had played her false, and, being our island home, it rained
buckets. Alfred ran, before they could stop him, and caught a fly. He was
dripping. Mrs. Dodd expressed her regrets; he told her it did not matter;
for him the ball was now over, the flowers faded, and the lights darkness
visible.

"The extravagance of these children!" said Mrs. Dodd to Julia, with a
smile, as soon as he was out of hearing. Julia made no reply.

Next day she was at evening church: the congregation was very sparse. The
first glance revealed Alfred Hardie standing in the very next pew. He
wore a calm front of conscious rectitude; under which peeped sheep-faced
misgivings as to the result of this advance; for, like all true lovers,
he was half impudence, half timidity; and both on the grand scale.

Now Julia in a ball-room was one creature, another in church. After the
first surprise, which sent the blood for a moment to her cheek, she found
he had come without a prayer-book. She looked sadly and half
reproachfully at him; then put her white hand calmly over the wooden
partition, and made him read with her out of her book. She shared her
hymn-book with him, too, and sang her Maker's praise modestly and
soberly, but earnestly, and quite undisturbed by her lover's presence. It
seemed as if this pure creature was drawing him to heaven holding by that
good book, and by her touching voice. He felt good all over. To be like
her, be tried to bend his whole mind on the prayers of the church, and
for the first time realised how beautiful they are.

After service he followed her to the door. Island home again, by the