"They were all good and worthy objects," he had observed to Anna,
and he could have tackled them singly, but not when they were piled
on ad nauseum. But the Japanese college had been largely discussed
in his special circle, and also in the paper of which he was the
editor--the Times had even devoted one of its columns to the
subject; and Mrs. Herrick had been secretly much gratified by
Malcolm's readiness to be present.

"The Bishop will be with us," she said, with an inflexion of pride
in her tone; "he is over here just now on account of his wife's
health, and has promised to take the chair." Then Malcolm signified
his perfect willingness to make his Lordship's acquaintance, and to
listen to any amount of speeches; and Mrs. Herrick had gone to her
bed that night a happy woman.

Why could not Malcolm be always like that? she thought, and then she
sighed gently as she took her Bible in her hand.

It opened of its own accord at Samuel's childhood and Hannah's
solemn dedication of her first-born; no passages in the well-read
book had been more frequently perused.

Of all the characters of holy writ, this Jewish mother appealed most
forcibly to her imagination: the little coat brought year by year to
the Temple child, the precious sacrifice and oblation made in
gratitude for an answered prayer, the pride and joy of the mother's
heart, as she stood in the court of the women and saw her boy
ministering in his fair linen ephod, seemed to touch her
irresistibly, and in her secret soul she had envied Hannah.