,,all',s ,,for ,,the ,,best4 ,,by ,t4 ,s4 ,,arthur4 ,,philadelphia3 #ahfi4 ,,contents4 ,i4 ,,faith ,,and ,,patience4 ,,ii4 ,,is ,,he ,a ,,christian8 ,,iii4 ,,rich ,,and ,,rare ,,were ,,the ,,gems ,,she ,,wore4 ,,iv4 ,,not ,,as ,a ,,child4 ,v4 ,,angels ,,in ,,the ,,heart4 ,,vi4 ,,cast ,,down1 ,,but ,,not ,,destroyed4 ,,vii4 ,,good ,,ground4 ,,viii4 ,,giving ,,that ,,doth ,,not ,,impoverish4 ,,ix4 ,,was ,,it ,,murder1 ,,or ,,suicide8 ,x4 ,,the ,,nursery ,,maid4 ,,xi4 ,,my ,,father4 ,,xii4 ,,the ,,christian ,,gentleman4 ,,all',s ,,for ,,the ,,best4 ,i4 ,,faith ,,and ,,patience4 ,i ,,have no faith in anything1 said a poor doubter1 who had trusted in human prudence1 and been disappointed2 who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence1 instead of by the light of divine truth1 and so lost his way in the world4 ,he was fifty years old6 ,what a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life4 ,no faith in anything4 ,you have faith in ,god1 ,mr4 ,fanshaw1 replied the gentleman to whom the remark was made4 ,in ,god8 ,i don't know him4 ,and ,mr4 ,fanshaw shook his head1 in a bewildered sort of way4 ,there was no levity in his manner4 ,people talk a great deal about ,god1 and their knowledge of him1 he added1 but not irreverently4 ,i think there is often more of pious cant in all this than of living experience4 ,you speak about faith in ,god4 ,what is the ground of your faith8 ,we have internal sight1 as well as external sight4 ,there was no response to this in ,mr4 ,fanshaw's face4 ,we can see with the mind1 as well as with the eyes4 ,how8 ,an architect sees the building1 in all its fine proportions1 with the eyes of his mind1 before it exists in space visible to his bodily eyes4 ,oh6 that is your meaning1 friend ,wilkins1 said ,mr4 ,fanshaw1 his countenance brightening a little4 ,in part1 was replied4 ,that he can see the building in his mind1 establishes the fact of internal sight4 ,admitted2 and what then8 ,admitted1 and we pass into a new world--the world of spirit4 ,mr4 ,fanshaw shook his head1 and closed his lips tightly4 ,i don't believe in spirits1 he answered4 ,you believe in your own spirit4 ,i don't know that ,i have any spirit4 ,you think and feel in a region distinct from the body1 said ,mr4 ,wilkins4 ,i can't say as to that4 ,you can think of justice1 of equity1 of liberty8 ,yes4 ,as abstract rights2 as things essential1 and out of the region of simple matter4 ,the body doesn't think2 it is the soul4 ,very well4 ,for argument's sake1 let all this be granted4 ,i don't wish to cavil4 ,i am in no mood for that4 ,and now1 as to the ground of your faith in ,god4 ,convictions1 answered ,mr4 ,wilkins1 are real things to a man4 ,impressions are one thing2 convictions another4 ,the first are like images on a glass2 the others like figures in a textile fabric4 ,the first are made in an instant of time1 and often pass as quickly2 the latter are slowly wrought in the loom of life1 through daily experience and careful thought4 ,herein lies the ground of my faith in ,god2--it is an inwrought conviction4 ,first ,i had the child's sweet faith transfused into my soul with a mother's love1 and unshadowed by a single doubt4 ,then1 on growing older1 as ,i read the ,bible1 which ,i believe to be ,god's word1 ,i saw that its precepts were divine1 and so the child's faith was succeeded by rational sight4 ,afterwards1 as ,i floated off into the world1 and met with storms that wrecked my fondest hopes2 with baffling winds and adverse currents2 with perils and disappointments1 faith wavered sometimes2 and sometimes1 when the skies were dark and threatening1 my mind gave way to doubts4 ,but1 always after the storm passed1 and the sun came out again1 have ,i found my vessel unharmed1 with a freight ready for shipment of value far beyond what ,i had lost4 ,i have thrown over1 in stress of weather1 to save myself from being engulfed1 things that ,i had held to be very precious--thrown them over1 weeping4 ,but1 after awhile1 things more precious took their place--goodly pearls1 found in a farther voyage1 which1 but for my loss1 would not have been ventured4 ,always am ,i seeing the hand of ,providence--always proving the divine announcement1 ',the very hairs of your head are numbered4' ,is there not ground for faith here8 ,if the word of ,god stand in agreement with reason and experience1 shall ,i not have faith8 ,if my convictions are clear1 to disbelieve is impossible4 ,we started differently1 replied ,mr4 ,fanshaw1 almost mournfully4 ,that sweet faith of childhood1 to which you have referred1 was never mine4 ,the faith of manhood is stronger1 because it rests on reason and experience1 said ,mr4 ,wilkins4 ,with me1 reason and experience give no faith in ,god1 and no hope in the future4 ,all before me is dark4 ,simply1 because you do not use your reason aright1 nor read your experiences correctly4 ,if you were to do this1 light would fall upon your way4 ,you said1 a little while ago1 that you had no faith in anything4 ,you spoke without due reflection4 ,no2 ,i meant just what ,i said4 ,is there stability in anything8 ,in what can ,i trust to-morrow8 simply in nothing4 ,my house may be in ruins--burnt to the ground1 at daylight4 ,the friend to whom ,i loaned my money to-day1 to help him in his need1 may fail me to-morrow1 in my need4 ,the bank in which ,i hold stock may break--the ship in which ,i have an adventure1 go down at sea4 ,but why enumerate8 ,i am sure of nothing4 ,not even of the love of your child8 ,a warm flush came into the face of ,mr4 ,fanshaw4 ,he had one daughter twelve years old4 ,dear ,alice6 he murmured1 in a softer voice4 ,yes1 ,i am sure of that4 ,there is no room for doubt4 ,she loves me4 ,one thing in which to have faith1 said ,mr4 ,wilkins4 ,not in a house which cannot be made wholly safe from fire2 nor in a bank1 which may fail2 nor in a friend's promise2 nor in a ship at sea--but in love6 ,are you afraid to have that love tried8 ,if you were sick or in misfortune1 would it grow dim1 or perish8 ,nay1 would it not be intensified8 ,i think1 ,mr4 ,fanshaw1 continued his friend1 that you have not tested your faith by higher and better things--by things real and substantial4 ,what is more real than a house1 or a ship1 or a bill of exchange8 asked ,mr4 ,fanshaw4 ,imperishable love--incorruptible integrity--unflinching honor1 was replied4 ,do these exist8 ,mr4 ,fanshaw looked incredulous4 ,we know that they exist4 ,you know that they exist4 ,history1 observation1 experience1 reason1 all come to the proof4 ,we doubt but in the face of conviction4 ,are these not higher and nobler things than wealth1 or worldly honors2 than place or power8 ,and is he not serenest and happiest whose life rests on these as a house upon its foundations8 ,you cannot shake such a man4 ,you cannot throw him down4 ,wealth may go1 and friends drop away like withering autumn leaves1 but he stands fast1 with the light of heaven upon his brow4 ,he has faith in virtue--he has trust in ,god--he knows that all will come out right in the end1 and that he will be a wiser and better man for the trial that tested his principles--for the storms that toughened1 but did not break the fibres of his soul4 ,you lift me into a new region of thought1 said ,mr4 ,fanshaw1 ,a dim light is breaking into my mind4 ,i see things in a relation not perceived before4 ,will you call with me on an old friend8 asked ,mr4 ,wilkins4 ,who8 ,a poor man4 ,once rich4 ,he might feel my visit as an intrusion4 ,no4 ,what reduced him to poverty8 ,a friend1 in whom he put unlimited faith1 deceived and ruined him4 ,ah6 ,and he has never been able to recover himself4 ,what is his state of mind8 ,you shall judge for yourself4 ,in poor lodgings they found a man far past the prime of life4 ,he was in feeble health1 and for over two months had not been able to go out and attend to business4 ,his wife was dead1 and his children absent4 ,of all this ,mr4 ,fanshaw had been told on the way4 ,his surprise was real1 when he saw1 instead of a sad-looking1 disappointed and suffering person1 a cheerful old man1 whose face warmed up on their entrance1 as if sunshine were melting over it4 ,conversation turned in the direction ,mr4 ,wilkins desired it to take1 and the question soon came1 naturally1 from ,mr4 ,fanshaw-- ,and pray1 sir1 how were you sustained amid these losses1 and trials1 and sorrows8 ,through faith and patience1 was the smiling answer4 ,faith in ,god and the right1 and patience to wait4 ,but all has gone wrong with you1 and kept wrong4 ,the friend who robbed you of an estate holds and enjoys it still2 while you are in poverty4 ,he is eating your children's bread4 ,do you envy his enjoyment8 asked the old man4 ,mr4 ,fanshaw shook his head1 and answered with an emphasis--,no6 ,i am happier than he is1 said the old man4 ,and as for his eating my children's bread1 that is a mistake4 ,his bread is bitter1 but theirs is sweet4 ,he reached for a letter that lay on a table near him1 and opening it1 said--,this is from my son in the ,west4 ,he writes3--',dear ,father--,all is going well with me4 ,i enclose you fifty dollars4 ,in a month ,i am to be married1 and it is all arranged that dear ,alice and ,i shall go ,east just to see you1 and take you back home with us4 ,how nice and comfortable we will make you6 ,and you shall never leave us6' ,the old man's voice broke down on the last sentence1 and his eyes filled with tears4 ,but he soon recovered himself1 saying-- ,before ,i lost my property1 this son was an idler1 and in such danger that through fear of his being led astray1 ,i was often in great distress of mind4 ,necessity forced him into useful employment2 and you see the result4 ,i lost some money1 but saved my son4 ,am ,i not richer in such love as he bears me to-day1 than if1 without his love1 ,i possessed a million of dollars8 ,am ,i not happier8 ,i knew it would all come out right4 ,i had faith1 and ,i tried to be patient4 ,it is coming out right4 ,but the wrong that has been done1 said ,mr4 ,fanshaw4 ,the injustice that exists4 ,here is a scoundrel1 a robber1 in the peaceful enjoyment of your goods1 while you are in want4 ,we do not envy such peace as his4 ,the robber has no peace4 ,he never dwells in security2 but is always armed1 and on the watch4 ,as for me1 it has so turned out that ,i have never lacked for food and raiment4 ,still1 there is the abstract wrong1 the evil triumphing over the good1 said ,mr4 ,fanshaw4 ,how do you reconcile that with your faith in ,providence8 ,what ,i see clearly1 as to myself1 was replied1 fully justifies the ways of ,god to man4 ,am ,i the gainer or the loser by misfortune8 ,clearly the gainer4 ,that point admits of no argument4 ,so1 what came to me in the guise of evil1 ,i find to be good4 ,god has not mocked my faith in him4 ,i waited patiently until he revealed himself in tender mercy2 until the hand to which ,i clung in the dark valley led me up to the sunny hills4 ,no amount of worldly riches could give me the deep satisfaction ,i now possess4 ,as for the false friend who robbed me1 ,i leave him in the hands of the all-wise ,disposer of events4 ,he will not find1 in ill-gotten gain1 a blessing4 ,it will not make his bed soft2 nor his food sweet to the taste4 ,a just and righteous ,god will trouble his peace1 and make another's possessions the burden of his life4 ,but that will not benefit you1 said ,mr4 ,fanshaw4 ,his suffering will not make good your loss4 ,my loss is made good already4 ,i have no complaint against ,providence4 ,my compensation is a hundredfold4 ,for dross ,i have gold4 ,i and mine needed the discipline of misfortune1 and it came through the perfidy of a friend4 ,that false friend1 selfish and grasping--seeing in money the greatest good--was permitted to consummate his evil design4 ,that his evil will punish him1 ,i am sure2 and in the pain of his punishment1 he may be led to reformation4 ,if he continue to hide the stolen fox1 it will tear his vitals4 ,if he lets it go1 he will scarcely venture upon a second theft4 ,in either event1 the wrong he was permitted to do will be turned into discipline2 and my hardest wish in regard to him is1 that the discipline may lead to repentance and a better life4 ,your faith and patience1 said ,mr4 ,fanshaw1 as he held the old man's hand in parting1 rebuke my restless disbelief4 ,i thank you for having opened to my mind a new region of thought--for having made some things clear that have always been dark4 ,i am sure that our meeting to-day is not a simple accident4 ,i have been led here1 and for a good purpose4 ,as ,mr4 ,fanshaw and ,mr4 ,wilkins left the poor man's lodgings1 the former said-- ,i know the false wretch who ruined your friend4 ,ah6 ,yes4 ,and he is a miserable man4 ,the fox is indeed tearing his vitals4 ,i understand his case now4 ,he must make restitution4 ,i know how to approach him4 ,this good1 patient1 trusting old man shall not suffer wrong to the end4 ,does not all this open a new world of thought to your mind8 asked ,mr ,wilkins4 ,does it not show you that1 amid all human wrong and disaster1 the hand of ,providence moves in wise adjustment1 and ever out of evil educes good1 ever through loss in some lower degree of life brings gain to a higher degree8 ,consider how1 in an unpremeditated way1 you are brought into contact with a stranger1 and how his life and experience touching yours1 give out a spark that lights a candle in your soul to illumine chambers where scarcely a ray had shone before2 and this not alone for your benefit4 ,it seems as if you were to be made an instrument of good not only to the wronged1 but to the wronger4 ,if you can effect restitution in any degree1 the benefit will be mutual4 ,i can and ,i will effect it1 replied ,mr4 ,fanshaw4 ,and he did6 ,,ii4 ,,is ,,he ,a ,,christian8 ,,is he a ,christian8 ,the question reached my ear as ,i sat conversing with a friend1 and ,i paused in the sentence ,i was uttering1 to note the answer4 ,oh1 yes2 he is a ,christian1 was replied4 ,i am rejoiced to hear you say so4 ,i was not aware of it before1 said the other4 ,yes2 he has passed from death unto life4 ,last week1 in the joy of his new birth1 he united himself to the church1 and is now in fellowship with the saints4 ,what a blessed change6 ,blessed1 indeed4 ,another soul saved2 another added to the great company of those who have washed their robes1 and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,there is joy in heaven on his account4 ,of whom are they speaking8 ,i asked1 turning to my friend4 ,of ,fletcher ,gray1 ,i believe1 was replied4 ,few men stood more in need of ,christian graces1 said ,i4 ,if he is1 indeed1 numbered with the saints1 there is cause for rejoicing4 ,by their fruits ye shall know them1 responded my friend4 ,i will believe his claim to the title of ,christian1 when ,i see the fruit in good living4 ,if he have truly passed from death unto life1 as they say1 he will work the works of righteousness4 ,a sweet fountain will not send forth bitter waters4 ,my friend but expressed my own sentiments in this1 and all like cases4 ,i have learned to put small trust in profession2 to look past the ,sunday and prayer-meeting piety of people1 and to estimate religious quality by the standard of the ,apostle ,james4 ,there must be genuine love of the neighbor1 before there can be a love of ,god2 for neighborly love is the ground in which that higher and purer love takes root4 ,it is all in vain to talk of love as a mere ideal thing4 ,love is an active principle1 and1 according to its quality1 works4 ,if the love be heavenly1 it will show itself in good deeds to the neighbor2 but1 if infernal1 in acts of selfishness that disregard the neighbor4 ,i will observe this ,mr4 ,gray1 said ,i1 as ,i walked homeward from the company1 and see whether the report touching him be true4 ,if he is1 indeed1 a ',christian1' as they affirm1 the ,christian graces of meekness and charity will blossom in his life1 and make all the air around him fragrant4 ,opportunity soon came4 ,fletcher ,gray was a store-keeper1 and his life in the world was1 consequently1 open to the observation of all men4 ,he was likewise a husband and a father4 ,his relations were1 therefore1 of a character to give1 daily1 a test of his true quality4 ,it was only the day after1 that ,i happened to meet ,mr4 ,gray under circumstances favorable to observation4 ,he came into the store of a merchant with whom ,i was transacting some business1 and asked the price of certain goods in the market4 ,i moved aside1 and watched him narrowly4 ,there was a marked change in the expression of his countenance and in the tones of his voice4 ,the former had a sober1 almost solemn expression2 the latter was subdued1 even to plaintiveness4 ,but1 in a little while1 these peculiarities gradually disappeared1 and the aforetime ,mr4 ,gray stood there unchanged--unchanged1 not only in appearance1 but in character4 ,there was nothing of the yea1 yea1 and nay1 nay1 spirit in his bargain-making1 but an eager1 wordy effort to gain an advantage in trade4 ,i noticed that1 in the face of an asservation that only five per cent4 over cost was asked for a certain article1 he still endeavored to procure it at a lower figure than was named by the seller1 and finally crowded him down to the exact cost1 knowing as he did1 that the merchant had a large stock on hand1 and could not well afford to hold it over4 ,he's a sharper6 said the merchant1 turning towards me as ,gray left the store4 ,he's a ,christian1 they say1 was my quiet remark4 ,a ,christian6 ,yes2 don't you know that he has become religious1 and joined the church8 ,you're joking6 ,not a word of it4 ,didn't you observe his subdued1 meek aspect1 when he came in8 ,why1 yes2 now that you refer to it1 ,i do remember a certain peculiarity about him4 ,become pious6 ,joined the church6 ,well1 ,i'm sorry6 ,for what8 ,sorry for the injury he will do to a good cause4 ,the religion that makes a man a better husband1 father1 man of business1 lawyer1 doctor1 or preacher1 ,i reverence1 for it is genuine1 as the lives of those who accept it do testify4 ,but your hypocritical pretenders ,i scorn and execrate4 ,it is1 perhaps1 almost too strong language1 this1 as applied to ,mr4 ,gray1 said ,i4 ,what is a hypocrite8 asked the merchant4 ,a man who puts on the semblance of ,christian virtues which he does not possess4 ,and that is what ,mr4 ,gray does when he assumes to be religious4 ,a true ,christian is just4 ,was he just to me when he crowded me down in the price of my goods1 and robbed me of a living profit1 in order that he might secure a double gain8 ,i think not4 ,there is not even the live and let live principle in that4 ,no--no1 sir4 ,if he has joined the church1 my word for it1 there is a black sheep in the fold2 or1 ,i might say1 without abuse of language1 a wolf therein disguised in sheep's clothing4 ,give the man time1 said ,i4 ,old habits of life are strong1 you know4 ,in a little while1 ,i trust that he will see clearer1 and regulate his life from perceptions of higher truths4 ,i thought his heart was changed1 answered the merchant1 with some irony in his tones4 ,that he had been made a new creature4 ,i did not care to discuss that point with him1 and so merely answered1 ,the beginnings of spiritual life are as the beginnings of natural life4 ,the babe is born in feebleness1 and we must wait through the periods of infancy1 childhood and youth1 before we can have the strong man ready for the burden and heat of the day1 or full-armed for the battle4 ,if ,mr4 ,gray is in the first effort to lead a ,christian life1 that is something4 ,he will grow wiser and better in time1 ,i hope4 ,there is vast room for improvement1 said the merchant4 ,in my eyes he is1 at this time1 only a hypocritical pretender4 ,i hope1 for the sake of the world and the church both1 that his new associates will make something better out of him4 ,i went away1 pretty much of the merchant's opinion4 ,my next meeting with ,mr4 ,gray was in the shop of a mechanic to whom he had sold a bill of goods some months previously4 ,he had called to collect a portion of the amount which remained unpaid4 ,the mechanic was not ready for him4 ,i am sorry1 ,mr4 ,gray1 he began1 with some hesitation of manner4 ,sorry for what8 sharply interrupted ,mr4 ,gray4 ,sorry that ,i have not the money to settle your bill4 ,i have been disappointed---- ,i don't want that old story4 ,you promised to be ready for me to-day1 didn't you8 ,and ,mr4 ,gray knit his brows1 and looked angry and imperative4 ,yes1 ,i promised4 ,but---- ,then keep your promise4 ,no man has a right to break his word4 ,promises are sacred things1 and should be kept religiously4 ,if my customers had kept their promises to me there would have been no failure in mine to you1 answered the poor mechanic4 ,it is of no use to plead other men's failings in justification of your own4 ,you said the bill should be settled to-day1 and ,i calculated upon it4 ,now1 of all things in the world1 ,i hate trifling4 ,i shall not call again1 sir6 ,if you were to call forty times1 and ,i hadn't the money to settle your account1 you would call in vain1 said the mechanic1 showing considerable disturbance of mind4 ,you needn't add insult to wrong4 ,mr4 ,gray's countenance reddened1 and he looked angry4 ,if there is insult in the case it is on your part1 not mine1 retorted the mechanic1 with more feeling4 ,i am not a digger of gold out of the earth1 nor a coiner of money4 ,i must be paid for my work before ,i can pay the bills ,i owe4 ,it was not enough that ,i told you of the failure of my customers to meet their engagements---- ,you've no business to have such customers1 broke in ,mr4 ,gray4 ,no right to take my goods and sell them to men who are not honest enough to pay their bills4 ,one of them is your own son1 replied the mechanic1 goaded beyond endurance4 ,his bill is equal to half of yours4 ,i have sent for the amount a great many times1 but still he puts me off with excuses4 ,i will send it to you next time4 ,this was thrusting home with a sharp sword1 and the vanquished ,mr4 ,gray retreated from the battle-field1 bearing a painful wound4 ,that wasn't right in me1 ,i know1 said the mechanic1 as ,gray left his shop4 ,i'm sorry1 now1 that ,i said it4 ,but he pressed me too closely4 ,i am but human4 ,he is a hard1 exacting1 money-loving man1 was my remark4 ,they tell me he has become a ,christian1 said the mechanic4 ,has got religion--been converted4 ,is that so8 ,it is commonly reported2 but ,i think common report must be in error4 ,st4 ,paul gives patience1 forbearance1 long-suffering1 meekness1 brotherly kindness1 and charity as some of the ,christian graces4 ,i do not see them in this man4 ,therefore1 common report must be in error4 ,i have paid him a good many hundreds of dollars since ,i opened my shop here1 said the mechanic1 with the manner of one who felt hurt4 ,if ,i am a poor1 hard-working man1 ,i try to be honest4 ,sometimes ,i get a little behind hand1 as ,i am new1 because people ,i work for don't pay up as they should4 ,it happened twice before when ,i wasn't just square with ,mr4 ,gray1 and he pressed down very hard upon me1 and talked just as you heard him to-day4 ,he got his money1 every dollar of it2 and he will get his money now4 ,i did think1 knowing that he had joined the church and made a profession of religion1 that he would bear a little patiently with me this time4 ,that1 as he had obtained forgiveness1 as alleged1 of his sins towards heaven1 he would be merciful to his fellow-man4 ,ah1 well6 ,these things make us very sceptical about the honesty of men who call themselves religious4 ,my experience with 'professors' has not been very encouraging4 ,as a general thing ,i find them quite as greedy for gain as other men4 ,we outside people of the world get to be very sharp-sighted4 ,when a man sets himself up to be of better quality than we1 and calls himself by a name significant of heavenly virtue1 we judge him1 naturally1 by his own standard1 and watch him very closely4 ,if he remain as hard1 as selfish1 as exacting1 and as eager after money as before1 we do not put much faith in his profession1 and are very apt to class him with hypocrites4 ,his praying1 and fine talk about faith1 and heavenly love1 and being washed from all sin1 excite in us contempt rather than respect4 ,we ask for good works1 and are never satisfied with anything else4 ,by their fruits ye shall know them4 ,on the next ,sunday ,i saw ,mr4 ,gray in church4 ,my eyes were on him when he entered4 ,i noticed that all the lines of his face were drawn down1 and that the whole aspect and bearing of the man were solemn and devotional4 ,he moved to his place with a slow step1 his eyes cast to the floor4 ,on taking his seat1 he leaned his head on the pew in front of him1 and continued for nearly a minute in prayer4 ,during the services ,i heard his voice in the singing2 and through the sermon1 he maintained the most fixed attention4 ,it was communion ,sabbath2 and he remained1 after the congregation was dismissed1 to join in the holiest act of worship4 ,can this man be indeed self-deceived8 ,i asked myself1 as ,i walked homeward4 ,can he really believe that heaven is to be gained by pious acts alone8 ,that every ,sabbath evening he can pitch his tent a day's march nearer heaven1 though all the week he have failed in the commonest offices of neighborly love8 ,it so happened1 that ,i had many opportunities for observing ,mr4 ,gray1 who1 after joining the church1 became an active worker in some of the public and prominent charities of the day4 ,he contributed liberally in many cases1 and gave a good deal of time to the prosecution of benevolent enterprises1 in which men of some position were concerned4 ,but1 when ,i saw him dispute with a poor gardener who had laid the sods in his yard1 about fifty cents1 take sixpence off of a weary strawberry woman1 or chaffer with his boot-black over an extra shilling1 ,i could not think that it was genuine love for his fellow-men that prompted his ostentatious charities4 ,in no instance did ,i find any better estimation of him in business circles2 for his religion did not chasten the ardor of his selfish love of advantage in trade2 nor make him more generous1 nor more inclined to help or befriend the weak and the needy4 ,twice ,i saw his action in the case of unhappy debtors1 who had not been successful in business4 ,in each case1 his claim was among the smallest2 but he said more unkind things1 and was the hardest to satisfy1 of any man among the creditors4 ,he assumed dishonest intention at the outset1 and made that a plea for the most rigid exaction2 covering his own hard selfishness with offensive cant about mercantile honor1 ,christian integrity1 and religious observance of business contracts4 ,he was the only man among all the creditors1 who made his church membership a prominent thing--few of them were even church-goers--and the only man who did not readily make concessions to the poor1 down-trodden debtors4 ,is he a ,christian8 ,i asked1 as ,i walked home in some depression of spirits1 from the last of these meetings4 ,and ,i could but answer ,no--for to be a ,christian is to be ,christ-like4 ,as ye would that men should do to you1 do ye even so to them4 ,this is the divine standard4 ,ye must be born again1 leaves to us no latitude of interpretation4 ,there must be a death of the old1 natural1 selfish loves1 and a new birth of spiritual affections4 ,as a man feels1 so will he act4 ,if the affections that rule his heart be divine affections1 he will be a lover of others1 and a seeker of their good4 ,he will not be a hard1 harsh1 exacting man in natural things1 but kind1 forbearing1 thoughtful of others1 and yielding4 ,in all his dealings with men1 his actions will be governed by the heavenly laws of justice and judgment4 ,he will regard the good of his neighbor equally with his own4 ,it is in the world where ,christian graces reveal themselves1 if they exist at all4 ,religion is not a mere ,sunday affair1 but the regulator of a man's conduct among his fellow-men4 ,unless it does this1 it is a false religion1 and he who depends upon it for the enjoyment of heavenly felicities in the next life1 will find himself in miserable error4 ,heaven cannot be earned by mere acts of piety1 for heaven is the complement of all divine affections in the human soul2 and a man must come into these--must be born into them--while on earth1 or he can never find an eternal home among the angels of ,god4 ,heaven is not gained by doing1 but by living4 ,,iii4 ,,rich ,,and ,,rare ,,were ,,the ,,gems ,,she ,,wore4 ,,have you noticed ,miss ,harvey's diamonds8 said a friend1 directing my attention1 as she spoke1 to a young lady who stood at the lower end of the room4 ,i looked towards ,miss ,harvey1 and as ,i did so1 my eyes received the sparkle of her gems4 ,brilliant as dew-drops in the morning sunbeams1 ,i remarked4 ,only less brilliant1 was my friend's response to this4 ,only less brilliant4 ,nothing holds the sunlight in its bosom so perfectly as a drop of dew4--,next1 the diamond4 ,i am told that the pin1 now flashing back the light1 as it rises and falls with the swell and subsidence of her bosom1 cost just one thousand dollars4 ,the public1 you know1 are very apt to find out the money-value of fine jewelry4 ,miss ,harvey is beautiful1 said ,i1 and could afford to depend less on the foreign aid of ornament4 ,if she had dazzled us with that splendid pin alone1 returned my friend1 we might never have been tempted to look beneath the jewel1 far down into the wearer's heart4 ,but1 diamond earrings1 and a diamond bracelet1 added--we know their value to be just twelve hundred dollars2 the public is specially inquisitive--suggest some weakness or perversion of feeling1 and we become eagle-eyed4 ,but for the blaze of light with which ,miss ,harvey has surrounded herself1 ,i1 for one1 should not have been led to observe her closely4 ,there is no object in nature which has not its own peculiar signification2 which does not correspond to some quality1 affection1 or attribute of the mind4 ,this is true of gems2 and it is but natural1 that we should look for those qualities in the wearer of them to which the gems correspond4 ,i admitted the proposition1 and my friend went on4 ,gold is the most precious of all metals1 and it must1 therefore1 correspond to the most precious attribute1 or quality of the mind4 ,what is that attribute8--and what is that quality8 ,love1 said ,i1 after a pause1 ,love is the most precious attribute of the mind--goodness the highest quality4 ,then1 it is no mere fancy to say that gold corresponds to love1 or goodness4 ,it is pure1 and ductile1 and warm in color1 like love2 while silver is harder1 and white and shining1 like truth4 ,gold and silver in nature are1 then1 as goodness and truth in the human soul4 ,in one we find the riches of this world1 in the other divine riches4 ,and if gold and silver correspond to precious things of the mind1 so must brilliant jewels4 ,the diamond6 ,how wonderful is its affection for light--taking in the rays eagerly1 dissolving them1 and sending them forth again to gladden the eyes in rich prismatic beauty6 ,and to what mental quality must the diamond correspond8 ,as it loves the sun's rays1 in which are heat and light--must it not correspond to the affection of things good and true8--heat being of love1 and light of truth or wisdom8 ,the wearer of diamonds1 then1 should have in her heart the heavenly affection to which they correspond4 ,she should be loving and wise4 ,it will not do to make an estimate in this way1 said ,i4 ,the measure is too exacting4 ,i will admit that4 ,but we cannot help thinking of the quality when we look upon its sign4 ,with a beautiful face1 when first seen1 do we not always associate a beautiful soul8 ,and when a lady adorns herself with the most beautiful and costly things in nature1 how can we help looking1 to see whether they correspond to things in her mind6 ,for one1 ,i cannot2 and so1 almost involuntarily1 ,i keep turning my eyes upon ,miss ,harvey1 and looking for signs of her quality4 ,and how do you read the lady8 ,i inquired4 ,my friend shook his head4 ,the observation is not favorable4 ,not favorable1 he replied4 ,no1 not favorable4 ,she thinks of her jewels--she is vain of them4 ,the temptation is great1 ,i said4 ,the fact of so loading herself with costly jewels1 is in itself indicative of vanity-- ,a third party joining us at this moment1 we dropped the subject of ,miss ,harvey4 ,but1 enough had been said to make me observe her closely during the evening4 ,the opening line of ,moore's charming lyric1 ,rich and rare were the gems she wore1 kept chiming in my thoughts1 whenever ,i glanced towards her1 and saw the glitter of her diamonds4 ,yet1 past the gems my vision now went1 and ,i searched the fair girl's countenance for the sparkle of other and richer jewels4 ,did ,i find them8 ,we shall see4 ,helen1 ,i heard a lady say to ,miss ,harvey1 is not that ,mary ,gardiner8 ,i believe so1 was her indifferent answer4 ,have you spoken to her this evening8 ,no1 aunt4 ,why8 ,mary ,gardiner and ,i were never very congenial4 ,we have not been thrown together for some time2 and now1 ,i do not care to renew the acquaintance4 ,i obtained a single glance of the young lady's face4 ,it was proud and haughty in expression1 and her eyes had in them a cold glitter that awoke in me a feeling of repulsion4 ,i wish you were congenial1 the lady said1 speaking partly to herself4 ,we are not1 aunt1 was ,miss ,harvey's reply2 and she assumed the air of one who felt herself far superior to another with whom she had been brought into comparison4 ,the gems do not correspond1 ,i fear1 said ,i to myself1 as ,i moved to another part of the room4 ,but who is ,miss ,gardiner8 ,in the next moment1 ,i was introduced to the young lady whose name was in my thought4 ,the face into which ,i looked was of that fine oval which always pleases the eye1 even where the countenance itself does not light up well with the changes of thought4 ,but1 in this case1 a pair of calm1 deep1 living eyes1 and lips of shape most exquisitely delicate and feminine--giving warrant of a beautiful soul--caused the face of ,miss ,gardiner to hold the vision as by a spell4 ,low and very musical was her voice1 and there was a discrimination in her words1 that lifted whatever she said above the common-place1 even though the subjects were of the hour4 ,i do not remember how long it was after my introduction to ,miss ,gardiner1 before ,i discovered that her only ornament was a small1 exquisitely cut cameo breast-pin1 set in a circlet of pearls4 ,there was no obtrusive glitter about this4 ,it lay more like an emblem than a jewel against her bosom4 ,it never drew your attention from her face1 nor dimmed1 by contrast1 the radiance of her soul-lit eyes4 ,i was charmed1 from the beginning1 with this young lady4 ,her thoughts were real gems1 rich and rare1 and when she spoke there was the flash of diamonds in her sentences2 not the flash of mere brilliant sayings1 like the gleaming of a polished sword1 but of living truths1 that lit up with their own pure radiance every mind that received them4 ,two or three times during the evening1 ,miss ,harvey1 radiant in her diamonds--they cost twenty-two hundred dollars--the price would intrude itself--and ,miss ,gardiner1 almost guiltless of foreign ornament1 were thrown into immediate contact4 ,but ,miss ,gardiner was not recognized by the haughty wearer of gems4 ,it was the old farce of pretence1 seeking1 by borrowed attractions1 to outshine the imperishable radiance of truth4 ,i looked on1 and read the lesson her conduct gave1 and wondered that any were deceived into even a transient admiration4 ,rich and rare were the gems she wore1 but they had in them no significance as applied to the wearer4 ,it was ,miss ,gardiner who had the real gems1 beautiful as charity1 and pure as eternal truth2 and she wore them with a simple grace1 that charmed every beholder who had eyes clear enough from earthy dust and smoke to see them4 ,i never meet ,miss ,harvey1 that ,i do not think of the pure and heavenly things of the mind to which diamonds correspond1 nor without seeing some new evidence that she wears no priceless jewels in her soul4 ,,iv4 ,,not ,,as ,a ,,child4 ,i ,,do not know how that may be1 said the mother1 lifting her head1 and looking through almost blinding tears1 into the face of her friend4 ,the poet may be right1 and1 ,not as a child shall ,i again behold him1 but the thought brings no comfort4 ,i have lost my child1 and my heart looks eagerly forward to a reunion with him in heaven2 to the blessed hour when ,i shall again hold him in my arms4 ,as a babe8 ,oh1 yes4 ,as a darling babe1 pure1 and beautiful as a cherub4 ,but would you have him linger in babyhood forever8 asked the friend4 ,the mother did not reply4 ,did you expect him always to remain a child here8 ,would perpetual infancy have satisfied your maternal heart8 ,had you not already begun to look forward to the period when intellectual manhood would come with its crowning honors8 ,it is true1 sighed the mother4 ,as it would have been here1 so will it be there4 ,here1 the growth of his body would have been parallel1 if ,i may so speak1 with the growth of his mind4 ,the natural and the visible would have developed in harmony with the spiritual and the invisible4 ,your child would have grown to manhood intellectually1 as well as bodily4 ,and you would not have had it otherwise4 ,growth--development--the going on to perfection1 are the laws of life2 and more emphatically so as appertaining to the life of the human soul4 ,that life1 in all its high activities1 burns still in the soul of your lost darling1 and he will grow1 in the world of angelic spirits to which our ,father has removed him1 up to the full stature of an angel1 a glorified form of intelligence and wisdom4 ,he cannot linger in feeble babyhood2 in the innocence of simple ignorance2 but must advance with the heavenly cycles of changing and renewing states4 ,and this is all the comfort you bring to my yearning heart8 said the mother4 ,my darling1 if all you say be true1 is lost to me forever4 ,he was not yours1 but ,god's4 ,the friend spoke softly1 yet with a firm utterance4 ,he was mine to love1 replied the bereaved one4 ,and your love would confer upon its precious object the richest blessings4 ,dear friend6 ,lift your thoughts a little way above the clouds that sorrow has gathered around your heart1 and let perception come into an atmosphere radiant with light from the ,sun of ,truth4 ,think of your child as destined to become1 in the better world to which ,god has removed him1 a wise and loving angel4 ,picture to your imagination the higher happiness1 springing from higher capacities and higher uses1 which must crown the angelic life4 ,doing this1 and loving your lost darling1 ,i know that you cannot ask for him a perpetual babyhood in heaven4 ,i will ask nothing for him but what ',our ,father' pleaseth to give1 said the mother1 in calmer tones4 ,my love is selfish1 ,i know4 ,i called that babe mine--mine in the broadest sense--yet he was ,god's1 as every other creature is his--one of the stones in his living temple--one of the members of his kingdom4 ,it does not comfort me in my great sorrow to think that1 as a child1 ,i shall not again behold him1 but rays of new light are streaming into my mind1 and ,i see things in new aspects and new relations4 ,out of this deep affliction good will arise4 ,just as certainly1 added the friend1 as that the ,sun shines and the dew falls4 ,it will be better for you1 and better for the child4 ,to both will come a resurrection into higher and purer life4 ,v4 ,,angels ,,in ,,the ,,heart4 ,,the heart is full of guest-chambers that are never empty2 and as the heart is the seat of life1 these guests are continually acting upon the life1 either for good or evil1 according to their quality4 ,as the guests are1 so our states of life--tranquil and happy1 if good2 disturbed and miserable1 if evil4 ,we may choose our own guests1 if we are wise4 ,none can open the door and come in1 unless we give consent2 always provided that we keep watch and ward4 ,if we leave wide open the doors of our houses1 or neglect to fasten them in the night season1 thieves and robbers will enter and despoil us at will4 ,so if we leave the heart1 unguarded1 enemies will come in4 ,but if we open the door only to good affections--which are guests--then we shall dwell in peace and safety4 ,we have all opened the door for enemies2 or let them enter through unguarded portals4 ,they are in all the heart's guest-chambers4 ,they possess the very citadel of life2 and the measure of their possession is the measure of our unhappiness4 ,markland was an unhappy man2 and yet of this world's goods1 after which he had striven1 he had an abundance4 ,wealth1 honor among men1 luxury2 these were presented to his mind as things most to be desired1 and he reached after them with an ardor that broke down all impediments4 ,success answered to effort1 with almost unerring certainty4 ,so he was full of wealth and honors4 ,but1 for all this1 ,markland was unhappy4 ,there were enemies in the house of his life2 troublesome guests in the guest-chambers of his heart1 who were forever disturbing1 if not wounding him1 with their strifes and discords4 ,some of these he had admitted1 himself holding open the door2 others had come in by stealth while the entrance was all unguarded4 ,envy was one of these guests1 and she gave him no peace4 ,he could not bear that another should stand above him in anything4 ,a certain pew in the church he attended was regarded as most desirable4 ,he must have that pew at any cost4 ,so when the annual choice of pews was sold at auction1 he overbid all contestants1 and secured its occupancy4 ,for all the preceding year1 he had failed to enjoy the ,sabbath services1 because another family had a pew regarded as better situated than his2 and now he enjoyed these services as little1 through annoyance at having given so large a price for the right of choice1 that people smiled when they heard the sum named4 ,he had paid too dear for the privilege1 and this fact took away enjoyment4 ,envy tormented him in a hundred different ways4 ,he could not enjoy his friend's exquisite statuary1 or paintings1 because of a secret intimation in his heart that his friend was honored above him in their possession4 ,twice he had sold almost palatial residences1 because their architectural attractions were thrown into the shade by dwellings of later construction4 ,thousands of dollars each year this troublesome guest cost him2 and yet she would never let him be at ease4 ,at every feast of life she dashed his cup with bitterness1 and robbed the choicest viands of their zest4 ,he did not enjoy the fame of an author1 an orator1 an artist1 a man of science1 a general1 or of any who held the world's admiring gaze--for while they stood in the sunlight1 he felt cast in the shade4 ,so the guest ,envy1 warmed and nourished in his heart1 proved a tormentor4 ,she gave him neither rest nor peace4 ,detraction1 twin-sister of ,envy1 was all the while pointing out defects in friends and neighbors4 ,he saw their faults and hard peculiarities2 but rarely their good qualities4 ,then ,doubt and ,distrust crept in through the unguarded door1 and soon after their entrance ,markland began to think uneasily of the future2 to fear lest the foundations of worldly prosperity were not sure4 ,these troublesome guests were busiest in the night season1 haunting his mind with strange pictures of disasters1 and with suggestions touching the arbitrary power of ,god1 whom he feared when the thought of him was present1 but did not love4 ,whom ,he will ,he setteth up1 and whom ,he will ,he casteth down4 ,doubt and ,distrust revived this warning in his memory1 and seeing that it gave his heart a throb of pain1 they set it close to his eyes1 so that1 for a time1 he could see nothing else4 ,thus1 night after night1 these guests troubled his peace1 often driving slumber from his eyelids until the late morning watches4 ,if there had been in his heart that true faith in ,god which believes in him as doing all things well1 ,doubt and ,distrust might never have gained an entrance4 ,but he had trusted in himself2 had believed himself equal to the task of creating his own prosperity--had been1 in common phrase1 the architect of his own fortunes4 ,and now just as he was pluming himself on success1 in crept ,doubt and ,distrust with their alarming suggestions1 and he was unable to cast them out4 ,affections1 whether evil or good1 are social in their character1 and obey social laws4 ,they do not like to dwell alone1 and therefore seek congenial friendships4 ,they draw to themselves companions of like quality1 and are not satisfied until they rule a man as to all the powers of his mind4 ,in the case of ,markland1 ,envy made room for her twin-sister1 ,detraction2 ,ill-will1 ,jealousy1 ,unkindness1 and a teeming brood of their malevolent kindred crowded into his heart1 possessing its chambers1 ere a warning reached him of their approach4 ,is there rest or peace for a man with such guests in his bosom8 ,doubt and ,distrust only heralded the coming of ,fear1 ,anxiety1 ,solicitude1 ,suspicion1 ,despondency1 ,foreboding4 ,markland had only to open his eyes and look around him1 to see1 on every hand1 the unsightly wrecks of palaces once as fair to the eye as that which he had raised with such labor and forethought1 and as he contemplated these1 ,doubt1 ,distrust1 and their companions1 filled his mind with alarming thoughts1 and so oppressed him with a sense of insecurity that1 at times1 he saw the advancing shadows of misfortune on his path4 ,thus it was with ,markland at fifty4 ,he had all good as to the externals of life1 yet was he a miserable man1 and1 worse than all1 he felt himself growing more and more unhappy as the years increased4 ,was there no remedy for this8 ,none1 while his heart was so filled with evil affections1 which are always tormentors4 ,he did not see this4 ,though his guests disturbed and afflicted him1 he called them friends1 and gave them entertainments of the best his house afforded4 ,sometimes ,pity came to the door of his heart and asked for admission1 but he sent ,unkindness to double bar it against her4 ,generosity knocked1 but ,avarice stood sentinel4 ,envy was forever refusing to let ,good-will1 ,appreciation1 ,approval1 ,delight1 come in4 ,detraction would give no countenance to ,virtue and ,excellence4 ,doubt made deadly assault upon ,faith1 and ,trust1 and ,hope1 whenever they drew near1 while ,ill-will stood ever on the alert to drive off ,charity1 ,loving-kindness and ,neighborly regard4 ,unhappy man6 ,fiends possessed him1 and he knew it not4 ,it so happened on a time1 that ,markland1 while standing in one of his well-filled ware-houses1 saw a child enter and come towards him in a timid1 hesitating manner4 ,a beggar6 ,drive her away1 said ,unkindness and ,suspicion1 both arousing themselves4 ,markland was already lifting his hand to wave her back1 when ,compassion1 who had just then found an old way into his heart1 hidden for a long time by rank weeds and brambles1 said1 in soft and pitying tones3 ,she is such a little child6 ,a thieving beggar6 cried ,unkindness and ,suspicion1 angrily4 ,a weak little child1 pleaded ,compassion4 ,don't be hard with her4 ,speak kindly4 ,compassion prevailed4 ,her voice had awakened into life some old and long sleeping memories4 ,markland was himself1 for a moment1 a child1 full of pity1 tenderness and loving-kindness4 ,compassion had already uncovered the far away past1 and the sweetness of its young blossoms was reviving old delights4 ,well1 little one1 what is wanted8 ,markland hardly knew his own voice1 it was so gentle and inviting4 ,how the pale1 pure face of the child warmed and brightened6 ,gratefully with trust and hope in her eyes1 she looked up to the merchant4 ,there was no answer on her lips1 for this unexpected kindness had choked the coming utterance4 ,rebuff1 threat1 anger1 had met her so often1 that soft words almost surprised her into tears4 ,well1 what can ,i do for you8 ,compassion held open the door through which she gained an entrance1 and already ,good-will1 ,kindness and ,satisfaction had come in4 ,mother is sick1 said the child4 ,a lying vagrant6 exclaimed ,suspicion1 jarring the merchant's inward ear4 ,there is truth in her face1 said ,compassion1 pleading1 and1 at the same time1 she unveiled an image1 sharply cut in the past of ,markland's life--an image of his own beloved1 but long sainted mother1 pale and wasted1 on her dying bed4 ,give this to your mother1 he said1 hastily1 taking a coin from his pocket4 ,there was more of human kindness in his voice than it had expressed for many years4 ,god bless you1 sir1 the child dropped her grateful eyes from his face1 as she took the coin1 bending with an involuntary reverent motion4 ,then1 as she slowly passed to the warehouse door1 she turned two or three times1 to look on the man who1 alone1 of the many to whom she had made solicitation that day1 had answered her in kindness4 ,so much for the encouragement of vagrancy1 said ,suspicion4 ,played on by the art of a cunning child1 said ,pride4 ,markland began to feel ashamed of his momentary weakness4 ,but1 he was not now1 wholly1 at the mercy of the guests who had so long tormented him4 ,compassion1 ,good-will and ,kindness were now his guests also2 and they had other and pleasanter suggestions for his mind4 ,the child's ,god bless you1 sir1 they repeated over and over again1 softening the young voice1 and giving it increasing power to awaken tender and loving states which had formed themselves in earlier and purer years4 ,tranquility1 so long absent from his soul1 came in1 now1 through the entrance made by ,compassion4 ,markland went back into his counting-room1 almost wondering at the peace he felt4 ,taking up a newspaper1 he read of a rare specimen of statuary just received from ,italy1 the property of a well-known merchant4 ,envy did not move quickly enough4 ,the old love of beauty and nature1 which envy1 detraction1 greed of gain1 and their blear-eyed companions1 had kept in thrall1 was already in a freer state2 and found in good-will1 kindness and tranquility1 congenial friends4 ,so1 love of art and beauty ruled his mind in spite of envy1 and ,markland found real pleasure in the ideal given him by the description he read4 ,it was1 almost1 a new sensation4 ,a friend came in1 and spoke in praise of one who had performed a generous deed4 ,there was an instant motion among the guests in ,markland's heart1 the evil inciting to envy and detraction1 the good to approval and emulation4 ,tranquility moved to the door through which she had come in1 as if to depart2 but ,good-will1 ,kindness and ,approbation1 drew her back1 and held1 with her1 possession of the mind they sought to rule4 ,envy and ,detraction were shorn1 for the time1 of their power4 ,wondering1 as he lay on his bed that night1 over the strange peace that pervaded his mind--a peace such as he had not known for many years--,markland fell asleep2 and in his sleep there came to him a dream of the human heart and its guest-chamber2 and what we have faintly suggested1 was made visible to him in living personation4 ,he saw how evil affections1 when permitted to dwell therein1 became its enemies and tormentors2 and how1 just in the degree that kind and good affections gained entrance1 there was peace1 tranquility and satisfaction4 ,i have looked into my own heart1 he said1 on awaking4 ,the incident of the child1 and the dream that followed1 were1 in ,providence1 sent for ,markland's instruction4 ,and they were not sent in vain4 ,ever after he set watch and ward at the doors of his heart4 ,evil guests1 already in possession1 were difficult to cast out2 but1 he invited the good to come in1 opening the way by kind and noble acts1 done in the face of opposing selfishness4 ,thus he went on1 peopling the guest-chamber with sweet beatitudes1 until angels instead of demons filled his house of life4 ,,vi4 ,,cast ,,down1 ,,but ,,not ,,destroyed4 ,,tripped again6 ,who8 ,brantley4 ,poor fellow6 ,he has a hard time of it4 ,is he all the way down8 ,i presume so4 ,when he begins to fall1 he usually gets to the bottom of the ladder4 ,it was true2 ,brantley had tripped again2 and was down4 ,he had been climbing bravely for three or four years1 and was well up the ladder of prosperity1 when in his eagerness to make two rundles of the ladder at a step instead of one1 he missed his footing and fell to the bottom4 ,my first knowledge of the fact came through the conversation just recorded4 ,from all ,i could hear1 ,brantley's failure was a serious one4 ,i knew him to be honorable and conscientious1 and to have a great deal of sensitive pride4 ,a few days afterwards1 while passing the pleasant home where ,brantley had been residing1 ,i saw a bill up1 giving notice that the house was for sale4 ,a few days later ,i met him on the street4 ,he did not see me4 ,his eyes were on the pavement2 he looked pale and careworn2 he walked slowly1 and was in deep thought4 ,he is of tougher material than most men1 if the heart is not all taken out of him1 ,i said in speaking of him to a mutual friend4 ,and he is of tougher material1 was answered1 that is1 of finer material4 ,brantley is not one of your common men4 ,still1 there must be something wrong about him4 ,some defect of judgment4 ,he is a good climber2 but not sure-footed4 ,or1 it may be that beyond a certain height his head grows dizzy4 ,if one gets too eager in any pursuit1 he is almost sure to make false steps4 ,i think ,brantley became too eager4 ,the steadily widening prospect as he went up1 up1 up1 caused his pulses to move at a quicker rate4 ,too eager1 and less scrupulous1 ,i suggested4 ,his honor is unstained1 said the friend1 with some warmth4 ,in the degree that a man grows eager in pursuit1 he is apt to grow blind to things collateral1 and less concerned about the principles involved4 ,in some cases that may be true1 but is hardly probable in the case of ,brantley4 ,i do not believe that he has swerved from integrity in anything4 ,it is my belief1 ,i answered1 that if he had not swerved1 he would not have fallen4 ,i may be wrong1 but cannot help the impression4 ,brantley is an honest man4 ,i will maintain that in the face of every one1 was replied4 ,honest as the world regards honesty4 ,but there are higher than legal standards4 ,what ,a and ,b may consider fair1 ,c may regard as questionable4 ,he has his own standard2 and if he falls below that in his dealings with men1 he departs from his integrity4 ,i have nothing to say for ,brantley under that view of the subject1 said the friend4 ,if he has special standards of morality1 and does not live up to them1 the matter is between himself and his own conscience4 ,we1 on the outside1 are not his judges4 ,it so happened that ,i met ,brantley a short time afterwards4 ,the circumstances were favorable1 and our interview unreserved4 ,he had sold his house1 and a large part of the handsome furniture it contained1 and was living in a humbler dwelling4 ,i referred to his changed condition1 and spoke of it with regret4 ,there is no gratuitous evil1 he remarked4 ,i have long been satisfied on that head4 ,if we lose on one hand1 we gain on another4 ,and my experience in life leads me to this conclusion1 that the loss is generally in lower things1 and the gain in higher4 ,i looked into his face1 yet bearing the marks of recent trial and suffering1 and saw in it the morning dawn4 ,has it been so with you8 ,i asked4 ,yes2 and it has always been so1 he answered1 without hesitation4 ,it is painful to be under the surgeon's knife1 he added4 ,we shrink back1 shivering1 at the sight of his instruments4 ,the flesh is agonized4 ,but when all is over1 and the greedy tumor1 or wasting cancer1 that was threatening life1 is gone1 we rejoice and are glad4 ,he sighed1 and looked sober for a little while1 as thought went back1 and memory gave too vivid a realization of what had been1 and then resumed3 ,i can see now1 that what seemed to me1 and is still regarded by others as a great misfortune1 was the best thing that could have taken place4 ,i have lost1 but ,i have gained2 and the gain is greater than the loss4 ,it has always been so4 ,out of every trouble or disaster that has befallen me in life1 ,i have come with a deep conviction that my feet stumbled because they were turning into paths that would lead my soul astray4 ,however much ,i may love myself and the world1 however much ,i may seek my own1 below all and above all is the conviction that time is fleeting1 and life here but as a span1 that if ,i compass the whole world1 and lose my own soul1 ,i have made a fearful exchange4 ,there are a great many things regarded by business men as allowable4 ,they are so common in trade1 that scarcely one man in a score questions their morality2 so common1 that ,i have often found myself drifting into their practice1 and abandoning for a time the higher principles in whose guidance there alone is safety4 ,misfortune seems to have dogged my steps2 but in this pause of my life--in this state of calmness--,i can see that misfortune is my good2 for1 not until my feet were turning into ways that lead to death1 did ,i stumble and fall4 ,are you not too hard in self-judgment8 ,i said4 ,no1 he answered4 ,the case stands just here4 ,you know1 ,i presume1 the immediate cause of my recent failure in business4 ,a sudden decline in stocks4 ,the color deepened on his cheeks4 ,yes2 that is the cause4 ,now1 years ago1 ,i settled it clearly with my own conscience that stock speculation was wrong2 that it was only another name for gambling1 in which1 instead of rendering service to the community1 your gains were1 in nearly all cases1 measured by another's loss4 ,departing from this just principle of action1 ,i was tempted to invest a large sum of money in a rising stock1 that ,i was sure would continue to advance until it reached a point where1 in selling ,i could realize a net gain of ten thousand dollars4 ,i was doing well4 ,i was putting by from two to three thousand dollars every year1 and was in a fair way to get rich4 ,but1 as money began to accumulate1 ,i grew more and more eager in its acquirement1 and less concerned about the principles underlying every action1 until ,i passed into a temporary state of moral blindness4 ,i was less scrupulous about securing large advantages in trade1 and would take the lion's share1 if opportunity offered1 without a moment's hesitation4 ,so1 not content with doing well in a safe path1 ,i must step aside1 and try my strength at climbing more rapidly1 even though danger threatened on the left and on the right2 even though ,i dragged others down in my hot and perilous scramble upwards4 ,i lost my footing--,i stumbled--,i fell1 crashing down to the very bottom of the hill1 half way up which ,i had gone so safely ere the greedy fiend took possession of me4 ,and have not been really hurt by the fall1 ,i remarked4 ,i have suffered pain--terrible pain2 for ,i am of a sensitive nature1 he replied4 ,but in the convulsions of agony1 nothing but the outside shell of a false life has been torn away4 ,the real man is unharmed4 ,and now that the bitter disappointment and sadness that attend humiliation are over1 ,i can say that my gain is greater than my loss4 ,i would rather grope in the vale of poverty all my life1 and keep my conscience clean1 than stand high up among the mountains of prosperity with a taint thereon4 ,god knows best1 he added1 after a pause1 speaking in a more subdued tone4 ,and ,i recognize the hand of ,his good providence in this wreck of my worldly hopes4 ,to gain riches at the sacrifice of just principles is to gather up dirt and throw away goodly pearls4 ,how is it with your family8 ,i asked4 ,they must feel the change severely4 ,they did feel it4 ,but the pain is over with them also4 ,poor weak human nature6 ,my girls were active and industrious at home1 and diligent at school1 while my circumstances were limited4 ,but1 as money grew more plentiful1 and ,i gave them a larger house to live in1 and richer clothes to wear1 they wearied of their useful employments1 and neglected their studies4 ,pride grew apace1 and vanity walked hand in hand with pride4 ,they were less considerate of one another1 and less loving to their parents4 ,if ,i attempted to restrain their fondness for dress1 or check their extravagance1 they grew sullen1 or used unfilial language4 ,like their father1 they could not bear prosperity4 ,but all is changed now4 ,misfortune has restored them to a better state of mind4 ,they emulate each other in service at home2 their minds dwell on useful things2 they are tender of their mother and considerate of their father4 ,home is a sweeter place to us all than it has been for a long time4 ,and so what the world calls misfortune has proved a blessing4 ,yes4 ,in permitting my feet to stumble2 in letting me fall from the height ,i had obtained1 ,god dealt with me and mine in infinite love4 ,we give false names to things4 ,we call that good which only represents good1 which is of the heart and life1 and not in external possessions4 ,he has taken from me the effigy that ,he may give me the good itself4 ,if all men could find like you1 ,i said1 a sweet kernel at the centre of misfortune's bitter nut4 ,all men may find it if they will1 he answered1 for the sweet kernel is there4 ,how few find it6 ,nay1 reader1 if you say this1 your observation is at fault4 ,god's providences with men are not like blind chances1 but full of wisdom and love4 ,in the darkness of sorrow and adversity a light shines on the path that was not illumined before4 ,when the sun of worldly prosperity goes down1 a thousand stars are set in the firmament4 ,in the stillness that follows1 ,god speaks to the soul and is heard4 ,,vii4 ,,into ,,good ,,ground4 ,,what did you think of the sermon1 ,mr4 ,braxton8 said one church member to another1 as the two men passed from the vestibule of ,st4 ,mark's out into the lofty portico4 ,mr4 ,braxton gave a slight shrug1 perceived by his companion as a sign of disapproval4 ,they moved along1 side by side1 down the broad steps to the pavement1 closely pressed by the retiring audience4 ,strong meat1 said the first speaker1 as they got free of the crowd and commenced moving down the street4 ,too strong for my stomach1 replied ,mr4 ,braxton4 ,something must have gone wrong with our minister when he sat down to write that discourse4 ,indigestion1 perhaps4 ,or neuralgia1 said ,mr4 ,braxton4 ,he was in no amiable mood--that much is certain4 ,why1 he set nine-tenths of us over on the left hand side1 among the goats1 as remorselessly as if he were an avenging ,nemesis4 ,he actually made me shudder4 ,that kind of literal application of texts to the living men and women in a congregation is not only in bad taste1 but presumptuous and blasphemous4 ,what right has a clergyman to sit in judgment on me1 for instance8 ,to give forced constructions to parables and vague generalities in ,scripture1 about the actual meaning of which divines in all ages have differed2 and1 pointing his finger to me or to you1 say--',the case is yours1 sir6' ,i cannot sit patiently under many more such sermons4 ,mr4 ,braxton evidently spoke from a disturbed state of mind4 ,something in the discourse had struck at the foundations of self-love and self-complacency4 ,into one ear1 and out at the other4 ,so it is with me1 in cases like this1 answered ,mr4 ,braxton's companion1 in a changed and lighter tone4 ,if a preacher chooses to be savage2 to write from dyspeptic or neuralgic states2 to send his congregation1 unshrived1 to the nether regions--why1 ,i shrug my shoulders and let it pass4 ,most likely1 on the next ,sunday1 he will be full of consideration for tender consciences1 and grandly shut the gate he threw open so widely on the last occasion4 ,it would never answer1 you know1 to take these things to heart--never in the world4 ,we'd always be getting into hot water4 ,clergymen have their moods1 like other people4 ,it doesn't answer to forget this4 ,good morning1 ,mr4 ,braxton4 ,our ways part here4 ,good morning1 was replied1 and the men separated4 ,but1 try as ,mr4 ,braxton would to set his minister's closely applied doctrine from ,scripture to the account of dyspepsia or neuralgia1 he was unable to push from his mind certain convictions wrought therein by the peculiar manner in which some positions had been argued and sustained4 ,the subject taken by the minister1 was that striking picture of the judgment given in the twenty-fifth chapter of ,matthew1 from the thirty-first verse to the close of the chapter1 beginning3 ,when the ,son of ,man shall come in his glory1 and all the holy angels with him1 then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory3 and before him shall be gathered all nations3 and he shall separate them one from another1 as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats4 ,the passage concludes3 ,and these shall go away into everlasting punishment3 but the righteous into life eternal4 ,now1 although ,mr4 ,braxton had complained of the literal application of this text1 that term was hardly admissible1 for the preacher waived the idea of a last general judgment1 as involved in the letter of ,scripture1 and declared his belief in a spiritual signification as lying beneath the letter1 and applicable to the inner life of every single individual at the period of departure from this world2 adding1 in this connection1 briefly3 ,but do not understand me as in any degree waiving the strictness of judgment to which every soul will have to submit4 ,it will not be limited by his acts1 but go down to his ends of life--to his motives and his quality--and the sentence will really be a judgment upon what he is1 not upon what he has done2 although1 taking the barest literal sense1 only actions are regarded4 ,in opening and illustrating his text1 he said1 farther3 ,as the word of ,god1 according to its own declarations1 is spirit and life--treats1 in fact1 by virtue of divine and ,scriptural origin1 of divine and spiritual things1 must we not go beneath the merely obvious and natural meaning1 if we would get to its true significance8 ,is there not a hunger of the soul as well as of the body8 ,may we not be spiritually athirst1 and strangers8--naked1 sick1 and in prison8 ,this being so1 can we confidently look for the invitation1 ',come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 if our regard for the neighbor have not reached beyond his bodily life8 ,if we have never considered his spiritual wants and sufferings1 and ministered thereto according to our ability8 ,just in the degree that the soul is more precious than the body1 is the degree of our responsibility under this more interior signification of ,scripture4 ,the mere natural acts of feeding the hungry and giving water to the thirsty1 of visiting the sick1 and those who lie in prison1 of clothing the naked and entertaining strangers1 will not save us in our last day1 if we have neglected the higher duties involved in the divine admonition4 ,nor will even the supply of spiritual nourishment to hungry and thirsty souls be accounted to us for righteousness4 ,we must find a higher meaning still in the text4 ,are we not1 each one of us1 starving for heavenly food8--spiritually exhausted with thirst8--naked1 sick1 in prison8 ,are we eating1 daily1 of the bread of life8--drinking at the wells of ,god's truth8--putting on the garments of righteousness8--finding balm for our sick souls in ,gilead8--breaking the bonds of evil8--turning from strange lands1 and coming back to our father's house4 ,if not1 ,i warn you1 men and brethren1 that you are not in the right way2--that1 taking the significance of ,god's word1 which is truth itself1 there is no reasonable ground of hope for your salvation4 ,it was not with ,mr4 ,braxton as with his friend4 ,he could not let considerations like these enter one ear and go out at the other4 ,from earliest childhood he had received careful instruction4 ,parents1 teachers and preachers1 had all shared in the work of storing his mind with the precepts of religion1 and now1 in manhood1 his conscience rested on these and upon the states wrought therefrom in the impressible substance of his mind4 ,try as he would1 he found the effort to push aside early convictions and early impressions a simple impossibility2 and1 notwithstanding these had been laid on the foundation of a far more literal interpretation of ,scripture than the one to which he had just been listening1 his maturer reason accepted the preacher's clear application of the law2 and conscience1 like an angel1 went down into his heart1 and troubled the waters which had been at peace4 ,mr4 ,braxton was a man of thrift4 ,he had started in life with a purpose1 and that purpose he was steadily attaining4 ,to the god of this world he offered daily sacrifice2 and in his heart really desired no higher good than seemed attainable through outward things4 ,wealth1 position1 honor1 among men--these bounded his real aspirations4 ,but prior things in his mind were continually reaching down and affecting his present states4 ,he could not forget that life was short1 and earthly possessions and honors but the things of a day4 ,that as he brought nothing into this world1 so he could take nothing out4 ,that1 without a religious life1 he must not hope for heaven4 ,in order to get free from the disturbing influence of these prior things1 and to lay the foundations of a future hope1 ,mr4 ,braxton became a church member1 and1 so far as all ,sabbath observances were concerned1 a devout worshiper4 ,thus he made a truce with conscience1 and conscience having gained so much1 accepted for a period the truce1 and left ,mr4 ,braxton in good odor with himself4 ,a man who goes regularly to church1 and reads his ,bible1 cannot fail to have questions and controversies about truths1 duties1 and the requirements of religion4 ,the barest literal interpretation of ,scripture will1 in most cases1 oppose the action of self-love2 and he will not fail to see in the law of spiritual life a requirement wholly in opposition to the law of natural life4 ,in the very breadth of this literal requirement1 however1 he finds a way of escape from literal observance4 ,to give to all who ask2 to lend to all who would borrow2 to yield the cloak when the coat is taken forcibly2 to turn the left cheek when the right is smitten--all this is to him so evidently but a figure of speech1 that he does not find it very hard to satisfy conscience4 ,setting these passages aside1 as not to be taken in the sense of the letter1 he does not find it very difficult to dispose of others that come nearer to the obvious duties of man to man--such1 for instance1 as that in the illustration of which1 by the preacher1 ,mr4 ,braxton's self-complacency had been so much disturbed4 ,he had never done much in the way of feeding the hungry1 giving drink to the thirsty1 clothing the naked1 or visiting the sick and in prison--never done anything of set purpose1 in fact4 ,if people were hungry1 it was mostly their own fault1 and to feed them would be to encourage idleness and vice4 ,all the other items in the catalogue were as easily disposed of2 and so the literal duties involved might have been set forth in the most impassioned eloquence1 ,sabbath after ,sabbath1 without much disturbing the fine equipose of ,mr4 ,braxton4 ,alas for his peace of mind6--the preacher of truth had gone past the dead letter1 and revealed its spirit and its life4 ,suddenly he felt himself removed1 as it were1 to an almost impossible distance from the heaven into which1 as he had complacently flattered himself1 he should enter by the door of mere ritual observances1 when the sad hour came for giving up the delightful things of this pleasant world4 ,no wonder that ,mr4 ,braxton was disturbed--no wonder that1 in his first convictions touching those more interior truths1 which made visible the sandy foundations whereon he was building his eternal hopes1 he should regard the application of doctrine as personal and even literal4 ,it was not so easy a thing to set aside the duty of ministering to the hungry1 sick1 and naked human souls around him1 thousands of whom1 for lack of spiritual nourishment1 medicine and clothing1 were in danger of perishing eternally4 ,and the preacher in dwelling upon this great duty of all ,christian men and women1 had used emphatic language4 ,i give you1 he said1 ,god's judgment of the case--not my own4 ',inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these1 ye did it not unto me4 ,and these shall go away2' where8 ',to everlasting punishment6' ,who shall go thus1 in the last day1 from this congregation8 ,as ,mr4 ,braxton sat alone on the evening of that ,sabbath1 troubled by the new thoughts which came flowing into his mind1 the full impression of this scene in church came back upon him4 ,there was an almost breathless pause4 ,men leaned forward in their pews2 the low1 almost whispered1 tones of the minister were heard with thrilling distinctness in even the remotest parts of the house4 ,who8 he repeated1 and the stillness grew more profound4 ,then1 slowly1 impressively1 almost sadly1 he said3 ,i cannot hide the truth4 ,as ,god's ambassador1 ,i must give the message2 and it is this3 ,if you1 my brother1 are not ministering to the wants of the hungry and thirsty1 the stranger1 the sick and in prison1 you are of those who will have to go away4 ,and the minister shut the ,book1 and sat down4 ,if1 as we have intimated1 the preacher had limited ,christian duty to bodily needs1 ,mr4 ,braxton would not have been much exercised in mind4 ,he had found an easy way to dispose of these merely literal interpretations of ,scripture4 ,now1 his life was brought to the judgment of a more interior law1 as expounded that day4 ,it was in vain that he endeavored to reject the law2 for the more he tried to do this1 the clearer it was seen in the light of perceptive truth4 ,god help me1 if this be so6 he exclaimed1 in a moment of more perfect realization of what was meant in the ,divine ,word4 ,who shall stand in the judgment8 ,for awhile he endeavored to turn himself away from convictions that were grounding themselves deeper and deeper every moment1--to shut his eyes in wilful blindness1 and refuse to see in the purer light which had fallen around him4 ,but this effort only brought his mind into severer conflict1 and consciously removed him to an almost fatal distance from the paths leading upward to the mountains of peace4 ,this is the way1 walk ye in it4 ,a clear voice rose above the noise of strife in his soul1 and his soul grew calm and listened4 ,he no longer wrought at the fruitless task of rejecting the higher truths which were illustrating his mind1 but let them flow in1 and by virtue thereof examined the state of his inner life4 ,now it was that his eyes were in a degree opened1 so that he could apprehend the profounder meanings of ,scripture4 ,the parables were flooded with new light4 ,he understood1 as he had never understood before1 why the guest1 unclothed with a wedding garment1 was cast out from the feast2 and why the door was shut upon the virgins who had no oil in their lamps4 ,he had always regarded these parables as involving a hidden meaning--as intended to convey spiritual instruction under literal forms--but1 now1 they spoke in a language that applied itself to his inward state1 and warned him that without a marriage garment1 woven in the loom of interior life1 where motives rule1 he could never be the ,king's guest2 warned him that without the light of divine truth in his understanding1 and the oil of love to ,god and the neighbor in his heart1 the door of the kingdom would be shut against him4 ,ritual observances were1 to these1 but outward forms1 dry husks1 except when truly representative of that worship in the soul which subordinates natural affections to what is spiritual and divine4 ,at last the seed fell into good ground4 ,mr4 ,braxton had been a way-side hearer2 but1 ere the good seed had time to germinate1 fowls came and devoured it4 ,he had been a stony-ground hearer1 receiving the truth with gladness1 but having no root in himself4 ,he had been as the ground choked with thorns1 suffering the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches to choke and hinder the growth of heavenly life4 ,now1 into good ground the seed had at last fallen2 and though the evil one tried to snatch it away1 its hidden life1 moving to the earth's quick invitation1 was already giving prophetic signs of thirty1 sixty1 or a hundredfold1 in the harvest time4 ,why was there good ground in the mind of ,mr4 ,braxton8 ,good ground1 even though he was wedded to external life2 a self-seeker2 a lover of the world8 ,in the answer to this question lies a most important truth for all to whom ,god has committed the care of children4 ,unless good ground is formed1 as it was in his case1 by early instruction2 by storing up in the memory truths from the ,bible1 and states of good affection2 by weaving into the web and woof of the forming mind precepts of religion--there is small hope for the future4 ,if these are not made a part of the forming life1 things opposite will be received1 and determine spiritual capabilities4 ,influx of life into the soul must be through prior things2 as the twig is bent1 the tree is inclined2 as the child's memory and consciousness is stored1 so will the man develop and progress4 ,take heart1 then1 doubting parent2 if you have in all faithfulness1 woven precious truths1 and tender1 pious1 unselfish states into the texture of your child's mind--though the fruit is not yet seen1 depend on it1 that the treasured remains of good and true things are there1 and will not be lost4 ,,viii4 ,,giving ,,that ,,doth ,,not ,,impoverish4 ,,of all the fallacies accepted by men as truths1 there is none more widely prevalent1 nor more fatal to happiness1 than that which assumes the measure of possession to be the measure of enjoyment4 ,all over the world1 the strife for accumulation goes on2 every one seeking to increase his flocks and herds--his lands and houses--or his gold and merchandise--and ever in the weary1 restless1 unsatisfied present1 tightening with one hand the grasp on worldly goods1 and reaching out for new accessions with the other4 ,in dispensation1 not in possession1 lies the secret of enjoyment2 a fact which nature illustrates in a thousand ways1 and to which every man's experience gives affirmation4 ,very good doctrine for the idle and thriftless1 said ,mr4 ,henry ,steel1 a gentleman of large wealth1 in answer to a friend1 who had advanced the truth we have expressed above4 ,as good doctrine for them as for you1 was replied4 ,possession must come before dispensation4 ,it is not the receiver but the dispenser who gets the higher blessing4 ,the rich man shrugged his shoulders1 and looked slightly annoyed1 as one upon whom a distasteful theme was intruded4 ,i hear that kind of talk every ,sunday1 he said1 almost impatiently4 ,but ,i know what it is worth4 ,preaching is as much a business as anything else2 and this cant about its being more blessed to give than to receive is a part of the capital in trade of your men of black coats and white neck-ties4 ,i understand it all1 ,mr4 ,erwin4 ,you talk lighter than is your wont on so grave a theme1 answered the friend4 ,what you speak of as 'cant1' and the preacher's 'capital in trade'--'it is more blessed to give than to receive1 are the recorded words of him who never spake as man spake4 ,if his words1 must they not be true8 ,perhaps ,i did speak lightly1 was returned4 ,but indeed1 ,mr4 ,erwin1 ,i cannot help feeling that in all these efforts to make rich men believe that their only way to happiness is through a distribution of their estates1 a large element of covetousness exists4 ,that may be4 ,but1 to-day you are worth over a quarter of million of dollars4 ,i remember when fifty thousand1 all told1 limited the extent of your possessions1 and ,i think you were happier than ,i find you to-day4 ,how was it1 my friend8 ,as to that1 was unhesitatingly replied1 ,i had more true enjoyment in life when ,i was simply a clerk with a salary of four hundred dollars a year1 than ,i have known at any time since4 ,a remarkable confession1 said the friend4 ,yet true1 nevertheless4 ,in all these years of strife with fortune--in all these years of unremitted gain--has there been any great and worthy end in your mind8 ,any purpose beyond the acquirement of wealth8 ,mr4 ,steel's brows contracted4 ,he looked at his friend for a moment like one half surprised1 and then glanced thoughtfully down at the floor4 ,gain1 and only gain1 said ,mr4 ,erwin4 ,not your history alone1 nor mine alone4 ,it is the history of millions4 ,gathering1 gathering1 but never of free choice1 dispensing4 ,still1 under ,providence1 the dispensation goes on2 and what we hoard1 in due time another distributes4 ,men accumulate gold like water in great reservoirs2 accumulate it for themselves1 and refuse to lay conduits4 ,often they pour in their gold until the banks fail under excessive pressure1 and the rich treasure escapes to flow back among the people4 ,often secret conduits are laid1 and refreshing and fertilizing currents1 unknown to the selfish owner1 flow steadily out1 while he toils with renewed and anxious labors to keep the repository full4 ,oftener1 the great magazine of accumulated gold and silver1 which he never found time to enjoy1 is rifled by others at his death4 ,he was the toiler and the accumulator--the slave who only produced4 ,miners1 pearl-divers1 gold-washers are we1 my friend2 but what we gather we fail to possess in that true sense of possession which involves delight and satisfaction4 ,for us the toil1 for others the benefit4 ,a flattering picture certainly6 was responded by ,mr4 ,steel1 with the manner of one on whose mind an unpleasant conviction was forcing itself4 ,is it not true to the life8 ,death holds out to us his unwelcome hand1 and we must leave all4 ,the key of our treasure-house is given1 to another4 ,yet1 is he not bound by our will8 said ,mr4 ,steel4 ,as we have ordered1 must not he dispense8 ,why not dispense with our own hands1 and with our own eyes see the fruit thereof8 ,why not1 in some small measure1 at least prove if it be indeed1 more blessed to give than to receive8 ,let us talk plainly to each other--we are friends4 ,i know that in your will is a bequest of five thousand dollars to a certain charitable institution1 that1 even in its limited way1 is doing much good4 ,i speak now of only this single item4 ,in my will1 following your example and suggestion1 is a similar bequest of one thousand dollars4 ,you are forty-five and ,i am forty-seven4 ,how long do we expect to live8 ,life is uncertain4 ,yet often prolonged to sixty1 seventy1 or even eighty years4 ,take sixty-five as the mean4 ,not for twenty years1 then1 will this institution receive the benefit of your good intention4 ,it costs1 ,i think1 about fifty dollars a year to support each orphan child4 ,only a small number can be taken1 for want of liberal means4 ,applicants are refused admission almost every day4 ,three hundred dollars1 the interest on five thousand1 at six per cent41 would pay for six children4 ,take five years as the average time each would remain in the institution1 and we have thirty poor1 neglected little ones1 taken from the street1 and educated for usefulness4 ,thirty human souls rescued1 it may be1 from hell1 and saved1 finally1 in heaven4 ,and all this good might be accomplished before your eyes4 ,you might1 if you chose1 see it in progress1 and comprehending its great significance1 experience a degree of pleasure1 such as fills the hearts of angels4 ,i have made up my mind what to do4 ,what8 ,erase the item of one thousand dollars from my will4 ,what then8 ,call it two thousand1 and invest it at once for the use of this charity4 ,no1 twenty years shall stand between my purpose and its execution4 ,i will have the satisfaction of knowing that good is done in my lifetime4 ,in this case1 at least1 ,i will be my own dispenser4 ,love of money was a strong element in the heart of ,mr4 ,steel4 ,the richer he grew1 the more absorbing became his desire for riches4 ,it was comparatively an easy thing to write out charitable bequests in a will--to give money for good uses when no longer able to hold possession thereof2 but to lessen his valued treasure by taking anything therefrom for others in the present time1 was a thing the very suggestion of which startled into life a host of opposing reasons4 ,he did not respond immediately1 although his heart moved him to utterance4 ,the force of his friend's argument was1 however1 conclusive4 ,he saw the whole subject in a new light4 ,after a brief but hard struggle with himself1 he answered3 ,and ,i shall follow in your footsteps1 my friend4 ,i never thought of the lost time you mention1 of the thirty children unblessed by the good act ,i purposed doing4 ,can ,i leave them to vice1 to suffering1 to crime1 and yet be innocent8 ,will not their souls be required at my hands1 now that ,god shows me their condition8 ,i feel the pressure of a responsibility scarcely thought of an hour ago4 ,you have turned the current of my thoughts in a new direction4 ,and what is better still1 answered ,mr4 ,erwin1 your purposes also4 ,my purposes also1 was the reply4 ,a week afterwards the friends met again4 ,ah1 said ,mr4 ,erwin1 as he took the hand of ,mr4 ,steel1 ,i see a new light in your face4 ,something has taken off from your heart that dead1 dull weight of which you complained when ,i was last here4 ,i don't know when ,i have seen so cheerful an expression on your countenance4 ,perhaps your eyes were dull before4 ,mr4 ,steel's smile was so all-pervading that it lit up every old wrinkle and care-line in his face4 ,i was at the school yesterday1 said ,mr4 ,erwin1 in a meaning way4 ,were you8 ,the light lay stronger on the speaker's countenance4 ,yes4 ,a little while after you were there4 ,mr4 ,steel took a deep breath1 as if his heart had commenced beating more rapidly4 ,i have not seen a happier man than the superintendent for a score of weeks4 ,if you had invested the ten thousand dollars for his individual benefit1 he could not have been half so well pleased4 ,he seems like an excellent man1 and one whose heart is in his work1 said ,mr4 ,steel4 ,he had1 already1 taken in ten poor little boys and girls on the strength of your liberal donation4 ,ten children lifted out of want and suffering1 and placed under ,christian guardianship6 ,just think of it4 ,my heart gave a leap for joy when he told me4 ,it was well done1 my friend--well done6 ,and what of your good purpose1 ,mr4 ,erwin8 asked the other4 ,two little girls--babes almost1 replied ,mr4 ,erwin1 in a lower voice1 that almost trembled with feeling1 were brought to me4 ,as ,i looked at them1 the superintendent said3 ',i heard of them two days ago4 ,their wretched mother had just died1 and1 in dying1 had given them to a vicious companion4 ,hunger1 cold1 debasement1 suffering1 crime1 were in the way before them2 and but for your timely aid1 ,i should have had no power to intervene4 ,but1 you gave the means of rescue1 and here they are1 innocent as yet1 and out of danger from the wolf4' ,in all my life1 my friend1 there has not been given a moment of sincerer pleasure4 ,for some time ,mr4 ,steel sat musing4 ,this is a new experience1 he said1 at length4 ,something outside of the common order of things4 ,i have made hundreds of investments in my time1 but none that paid me down so large an interest4 ,a poor speculation it seemed4 ,you almost dragged me into it2 but1 ,i see that it will yield unfailing dividends of pleasure4 ,we have turned a leaf in the book of life1 his friend made answer1 and on the new page which now lies before us1 we find it written1 that in wise dispensation1 not in mere getting and hoarding1 lies the secret of happiness4 ,the lake must have an outlet1 and give forth its crystal waters in full measure1 if it would keep them pure and wholesome1 or1 as the ,dead ,sea1 it will be full of bitterness1 and hold no life in its bosom4 ,,ix4 ,,was ,,it ,,murder1 ,,or ,,suicide8 ,,who is that young lady8 ,a slender girl1 just above the medium height1 stood a moment at the parlor door1 and then withdrew4 ,her complexion was fair1 but colorless2 her eyes so dark1 that you were in doubt1 on the first glance1 whether they were brown or blue4 ,away from her forehead and temples1 the chestnut hair was put far back1 giving to her finely-cut and regular features an intellectual cast4 ,her motions were easy1 yet with an air of reserve and dignity4 ,the question was asked by a visitor who had called a little while before4 ,my seamstress1 answered ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,oh6 ,the manner of her visitor changed4 ,how the whole character of the woman was expressed in the tone with which she made that simple ejaculation6 ,only a seamstress6 ,oh6 ,i thought it some relative or friend of the family4 ,no4 ,she is a peculiar-looking girl1 said ,mrs4 ,lowe1 the visitor4 ,do you think so8 ,in what respect8 ,if she were in a different sphere of life1 ,i would say that she had the style of a lady4 ,she's a true1 good girl1 answered ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 and ,i feel much interested in her4 ,a few years ago her father was in excellent circumstances4 ,ah6 ,with a slight manifestation of interest4 ,yes1 and she's been well educated4 ,and has ridden in her own carriage1 no doubt4 ,it's the story of two-thirds of your sewing girls4 ,mrs4 ,lowe laughed in an unsympathetic1 contemptuous way4 ,i happen to know that it is true in ,mary ,carson's case1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,mary ,carson4 ,is that her name8 ,yes4 ,passing from her antecedents1 as the phrase now is1 which are neither here nor there1 said ,mrs4 ,lowe1 with a coldness1 or rather coarseness of manner1 that shocked the higher tone of ,mrs4 ,wykoff's feelings1 what is she as a seamstress8 ,can she fit children8--little girls like my ,angela and ,grace8 ,i have never been so well suited in my life1 replied ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,let me show you a delaine for ,anna which she finished yesterday4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff left the room1 and returned in a few minutes with a child's dress in her hand4 ,the ladies examined the work on this dress with practised eyes1 and agreed that it was of unusual excellence4 ,and she fits as well as she sews8 said ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,yes4 ,nothing could fit more beautifully than the dresses she has made for my children4 ,how soon will you be done with her8 ,she will be through with my work in a day or two4 ,is she engaged anywhere else8 ,i will ask her1 if you desire it4 ,do so1 if you please4 ,would you like to see her8 ,it's of no consequence4 ,say that ,i will engage her for a couple of weeks4 ,what are her terms8 ,seventy-five cents a day4 ,so much8 ,i've never paid over sixty-two-and-a-half4 ,she's worth the difference4 ,i'd rather pay her a dollar a day than give some women ,i've had1 fifty cents4 ,she works faithfully in all things4 ,i'll take your word for that1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,please ask her if she can come to me next week2 and if so1 on what day8 ,mrs4 ,wykoff left the room4 ,will ,monday suit you8 she asked1 on returning4 ,yes2 that will do4 ,miss ,carson says that she will be at your service on ,monday4 ,very well4 ,tell her to report herself bright and early on that day4 ,i shall be all ready for her4 ,hadn't you better see her1 while you are here8 asked ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,oh1 no4 ,not at all necessary4 ,it will be time enough on ,monday4 ,your endorsement of her is all-sufficient4 ,mrs4 ,lowe1 who had only been making a formal call1 now arose1 and with a courteous good morning1 retired4 ,from the parlor1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff returned to the room occupied by ,miss ,carson4 ,you look pale this morning1 ,mary1 said the lady as she came in1 ,i'm afraid you are not as well as usual4 ,the seamstress lifted herself in a tired way1 and took a long breath1 at the same time holding one hand tightly against her left side4 ,her eyes looked very bright1 as they rested1 with a sober expression1 on ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,but she did not reply4 ,have you severe pain there1 ,mary8 ,the voice was very kind2 almost motherly4 ,not very severe4 ,but it aches in a dull way4 ,hadn't you better lie down for a little while8 ,oh1 no--thank you1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,and a smile flitted over the girl's sweet1 sad face2 a smile that was meant to say--,how absurd to think of such a thing6 ,she was there to work1 not to be treated as an invalid4 ,stooping over the garment1 she went on with her sewing4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff looked at her very earnestly1 and saw that her lips were growing colorless2 that she moved them in a nervous way1 and swallowed every now and then4 ,come1 child1 she said1 in a firm tone1 as she took ,miss ,carson by the arm4 ,put aside your work1 and lie down on that sofa4 ,you are sick4 ,she did not resist2 but only said--- ,not sick1 ma'am--only a little faint4 ,as her head went heavily down upon the pillow1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff saw a sparkle of tears along the line of her closely shut eyelids4 ,now don't stir from there until ,i come back1 said the kind lady1 and left the room4 ,in a little while she returned1 with a small waiter in her hand1 containing a goblet of wine sangaree and a biscuit4 ,take this1 ,mary4 ,it will do you good4 ,the eyes which had not been unclosed since ,mrs4 ,wykoff went out1 were all wet as ,mary ,carson opened them4 ,oh1 you are so kind6 ,there was gratitude in her voice4 ,rising1 she took the wine1 and drank of it like one athirst4 ,then taking it from her lips1 she sat1 as if noting her sensations4 ,it seems to put life into me1 she said1 with a pulse of cheerfulness in her tones4 ,now eat this biscuit1 and ,mrs4 ,wykoff held the waiter near4 ,the wine drank and the biscuit eaten1 a complete change in ,miss ,carson was visible4 ,the whiteness around her mouth gave place to a ruddier tint2 her face no longer wore an exhausted air2 the glassy lustre of her eyes was gone4 ,i feel like myself again1 she said1 as she left the sofa1 and resumed her sewing chair4 ,how is your side now8 asked ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,easier4 ,i scarcely perceive the pain4 ,hadn't you better lie still a while longer8 ,no1 ma'am4 ,i am all right now4 ,a weak spell came over me4 ,i didn't sleep much last night1 and that left me exhausted this morning1 and without any appetite4 ,what kept you awake8 ,this dull pain in my side for a part of the time4 ,then ,i coughed a good deal2 and then ,i became wakeful and nervous4 ,does this often occur1 ,mary8 ,well--yes1 ma'am--pretty often of late4 ,how often8 ,two or three times a week4 ,can you trace it to any cause8 ,not certainly4 ,to cold8 ,no1 ma'am4 ,fatigue8 ,more that than anything else1 ,i think4 ,and you didn't eat any breakfast this morning8 ,i drank a cup of coffee4 ,but took no solid food8 ,i couldn't have swallowed it1 ma'am4 ,and it's now twelve o'clock1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff2 drawing out her watch4 ,mary6 ,mary6 ,this will not do4 ,i don't wonder you were faint just now4 ,miss ,carson bent to her work and made no answer4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff sat regarding her for some time with a look of human interest1 and then went out4 ,a little before two o'clock there was a tap at the door1 and the waiter came in1 bearing a tray4 ,there was a nicely-cooked chop1 toast1 and some tea1 with fruit and a custard4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff said1 when she went out1 that dinner would be late to-day1 and that you were not well1 and mustn't be kept waiting1 remarked the servant1 as he drew a small table towards the centre of the room1 and covered it with a white napkin4 ,he came just in time4 ,the stimulating effect of the wine had subsided1 and ,miss ,carson was beginning to grow faint again1 for lack of food4 ,it was after three o'clock when ,mrs4 ,wykoff came home1 and half past three before the regular dinner for the family was served4 ,she looked in1 a moment1 upon the seamstress1 saying as she did so-- ,you've had your dinner1 ,mary8 ,oh yes1 ma'am1 and ,i'm much obliged1 answered ,miss ,carson1 a bright smile playing over her face4 ,the timely meal had put new life into her4 ,i knew you couldn't wait until we were ready1 said the kind-hearted1 thoughtful woman1 and so told ,ellen to cook you a chop1 and make you a cup of tea4 ,did you have enough8 ,oh yes1 ma'am4 ,more than enough4 ,you feel better than you did this morning8 ,a great deal better1 ,i'm like another person4 ,you must never go without food so long again1 ,mary4 ,it is little better than suicide for one in your state of health4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff retired1 and the seamstress went on with her work4 ,at the usual hour1 ,mary ,carson appeared on the next morning4 ,living at some distance from ,mrs4 ,wykoff's1 she did not come until after breakfast4 ,the excellent lady had thought over the incident of the day before1 and was satisfied that1 from lack of nutritious food at the right time1 ,mary's vital forces were steadily wasting1 and that she would1 in a very little while1 destroy herself4 ,i will talk with her seriously about this matter1 she said4 ,a word of admonition may save her4 ,you look a great deal better this morning1 she remarked1 as she entered the room where ,mary was sewing4 ,i haven't felt better for a long time1 was the cheerful answer4 ,did you sleep well last night8 ,very well4 ,any cough8 ,not of any consequence1 ma'am4 ,how was the pain in your side8 ,it troubled me a little when ,i first went to bed1 but soon passed off4 ,did you feel the old exhaustion on waking8 ,i always feel weak in the morning2 but it was nothing1 this morning1 to what it has been4 ,how was your appetite8 ,better4 ,i eat an egg and a piece of toast1 and they tasted good4 ,usually my stomach loathes food in the morning4 ,has this been the case long8 ,for a long time1 ma'am4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff mused for a little while1 and then asked-- ,how do you account for the difference this morning8 ,miss ,carson's pale face became slightly flushed1 and her eyes fell away from the questioning gaze of ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,there is a cause for it1 and it is of importance that you should know the cause4 ,has it been suggested to your mind8 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,to me the cause is quite apparent4 ,they looked at each other for a few moments in silence4 ,my interest in you prompts these questions1 ,mary1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,speak to me freely1 if you will1 as to a friend4 ,what made the difference8 ,i think the difference is mainly due to your kindness yesterday4--,to the glass of wine and biscuit when ,i was faint1 and to the early and good dinner1 when exhausted nature was crying for food4 ,i believe1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff--and ,mary's eyes glistened--that if you had not thought of me when you did1 ,i should not be here to-day4 ,are you serious1 ,mary8 ,i am1 indeed1 ma'am4 ,i should have got over my faint spell in the morning1 even without the wine and biscuit1 and worked on until dinner-time2 but ,i wouldn't have been able to eat anything4 ,it almost always happens1 when ,i go so long without food1 that my appetite fails altogether1 and by the time night comes1 ,i sink down in an exhausted state1 from which nature finds it hard to rally4 ,it has been so a number of times4 ,the week before ,i came here1 ,i was sewing for a lady1 and worked from eight o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon1 without food passing my lips4 ,as ,i had been unable to eat anything at breakfast-time1 ,i grew very faint1 and when called to dinner1 was unable to swallow a mouthful4 ,when ,i got home in the evening ,i was feverish and exhausted1 and coughed nearly all night4 ,it was three or four days before ,i was well enough to go out again4 ,has this happened1 in any instance1 while you were sewing for me8 asked ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,miss ,carson dropped her face1 and turned it partly aside2 her manner was slightly disturbed4 ,don't hesitate about answering my question1 ,mary4 ,if it has happened1 say so4 ,i am not always as thoughtful as ,i should be4 ,it happened once4 ,when8 ,last week4 ,oh6 ,i remember that you were not able to come for two days4 ,now1 tell me1 ,mary1 without reservation1 exactly how it was4 ,i never blamed you for a moment1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,you didn't think2 and ,i'd rather not say anything about it4 ,if ,i'd been as well as usual on that day1 it wouldn't have happened4 ,you'd passed a sleepless night8 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,the consequence of fatigue and exhaustion8 ,perhaps that was the reason4 ,and couldn't eat any breakfast8 ,i drank a cup of coffee4 ,very well4 ,after that you came here to work4 ,now1 tell me exactly what occurred1 and how you felt all day4 ,don't keep back anything on account of my feelings4 ,i want the exact truth4 ,it will be of use to me1 and to others also1 ,i think4 ,thus urged1 ,miss ,carson replied-- ,i'll tell you just as it was4 ,i came later than usual4 ,the walk is long1 and ,i felt so weak that ,i couldn't hurry4 ,i thought you looked a little serious when ,i came in1 and concluded that it was in consequence of my being late4 ,the air and walk gave me an appetite1 and if ,i had taken some food then1 it would have done me good4 ,i thought1 as ,i stood at the door1 waiting to be let in1 that ,i would ask for a cracker or a piece of bread and butter2 but1 when ,i met you1 and saw how sober you looked1 my heart failed me4 ,why1 ,mary6 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,how wrong it was in you6 ,may be it was1 ma'am2 but ,i couldn't help it4 ,i'm foolish sometimes2 and it's hard for us to be anything else than what we are1 as my ,aunt ,hannah used to say4 ,well1 ,i sat down to my work with the dull pain in my side1 and the sick feeling that always comes at such times1 and worked on hour after hour4 ,you looked in once or twice during the morning to see how ,i was getting on1 and to ask about the trimming for a dress ,i was making4 ,then you went out shopping1 and did not get home until half past two o'clock4 ,for two hours there had been a gnawing at my stomach1 and ,i was faint for something to eat4 ,twice ,i got up to ring the bell1 and ask for a lunch2 but1 ,i felt backward about taking the liberty4 ,when1 at three o'clock1 ,i was called to dinner1 no appetite remained4 ,i put food into my mouth1 but it had no sweetness1 and the little ,i forced myself to swallow1 lay undigested4 ,you were very much occupied1 and did not notice me particularly4 ,i dragged on1 as best ,i could1 through the afternoon1 feeling1 sometimes1 as if ,i would drop from my chair4 ,you had tea later than usual4 ,it was nearly seven o'clock when ,i put up my work and went down4 ,you said something in a kind1 but absent tone1 about my looking pale1 and asked if ,i would have a second cup of tea4 ,i believe ,i forced myself to eat a slice of bread half as large as my hand4 ,i thought ,i should never reach home that night1 for the weakness that came upon me4 ,i got to bed as soon as possible1 but was too tired to sleep until after twelve o'clock1 when a coughing spell seized me1 which brought on the pain in my side4 ,it was near daylight when ,i dropped off2 and then ,i slept so heavily for two hours that ,i was all wet with perspiration when ,i awoke4 ,on trying to rise1 my head swam so that ,i had to lie down again1 and it was late in the day before ,i could even sit up in bed4 ,towards evening1 ,i was able to drink a cup of tea and eat a small piece of toast and then ,i felt wonderfully better4 ,i slept well that night1 and was still better in the morning1 but did not think it safe to venture out upon a day's work2 so ,i rested and got all the strength ,i could4 ,on the third day1 ,i was as well as ever again4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff drew a long sigh as ,miss ,carson stopped speaking and bent down over her sewing4 ,for some time1 she remained without speaking4 ,life is too precious a thing to be wasted in this way1 said the lady1 at length1 speaking partly to herself1 and partly to the seamstress4 ,we are too thoughtless1 ,i must own2 but you are not blameless4 ,it is scarcely possible for us to understand just how the case stands with one in your position1 and duty to yourself demands that you should make it known4 ,there is not one lady in ten1 ,i am sure1 who would not be pleased rather than annoyed1 to have you do so4 ,miss ,carson did not answer4 ,do you doubt8 asked ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,for one of my disposition1 was replied1 the life of a seamstress does not take off the keen edge of a natural reserve--or1 to speak more correctly sensitiveness4 ,i dislike to break in upon another's household arrangements1 or in any way to obtrude myself4 ,my rule is1 to adapt myself1 as best ,i can1 to the family order1 and so not disturb anything by my presence4 ,even though your life be in jeopardy8 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,oh6 it's not so bad as that4 ,but it is1 ,mary6 ,let me ask a few more questions4 ,i am growing interested in the subject1 as reaching beyond you personally4 ,how many families do you work for8 ,after thinking for a little while1 and naming quite a number of ladies1 she replied-- ,not less than twenty4 ,and to many of these1 you go for only a day or two at a time8 ,yes4 ,passing from family to family1 and adapting yourself to their various home arrangements8 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,getting your dinner at one o'clock to-day1 and at three or four to-morrow8 ,miss ,carson nodded assent4 ,taking it now1 warm and well served1 with the family1 and on the next occasion1 cold and tasteless by yourself1 after the family has dined4 ,another assenting inclination of the head4 ,one day set to work in an orderly1 well ventilated room1 and on the next cooped up with children in a small apartment1 the air of which is little less than poison to your weak lungs4 ,these differences must always occur1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 replied ,miss ,carson1 in a quiet uncomplaining voice4 ,how could it be otherwise8 ,no house-keeper is going to alter her family arrangements for the accommodation of a sewing-girl4 ,the seamstress must adapt herself to them1 and do it as gracefully as possible4 ,even at the risk of her life8 ,she will find it easier to decline working in families where the order of things bears too heavily upon her1 than to attempt any change4 ,i have been obliged to do this in one or two instances4 ,there is something wrong here1 ,mary1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 with increasing sobriety of manner4 ,something very wrong1 and as ,i look it steadily in the face1 ,i feel both surprise and trouble2 for1 after what you have just said1 ,i do not see clearly how it is to be remedied4 ,one thing is certain1 if you1 as a class1 accept1 without remonstrance1 the hurt you suffer1 there will be no change4 ,people are indifferent and thoughtless2 or worse1 too selfish to have any regard for others--especially if they stand1 socially1 on a plane below them4 ,we cannot apply the remedy1 answered ,miss ,carson4 ,i am not so sure of that4 ,just look at it for a moment1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,it is admitted1 that1 for the preservation of health1 orderly habits are necessary2 and that food should be taken at regular intervals4 ,suppose that1 at home1 my habit is to eat breakfast at seven1 dinner at one1 and supper at six4 ,to-day1 such is the order of my meals2 but to-morrow1 ,i leave home at half past six1 and sit down1 on an empty stomach to sew until eight1 before ,i am called to breakfast4 ,after that1 ,i work until two o'clock1 when ,i get my dinner2 and at seven drink tea4 ,on the day after that1 may be1 on my arrival at another house where a day's cutting and fitting is wanted1 ,i find the breakfast awaiting me at seven2 this suits very well--but not another mouthful of food passes my lips until after three o'clock1 and may be1 then1 ,i have such an inward trembling and exhaustion1 that ,i cannot eat4 ,on the day following1 the order is again changed4 ,so it goes on4 ,the difference in food1 too1 is often as great4 ,at some houses1 everything is of good quality1 well cooked1 and in consequence1 of easy digestion2 while at others1 sour or heavy bread1 greasy cooking1 and like kitchen abominations1 if ,i must so call them1 disorder instead of giving sustenance to a frail body like mine4 ,the seamstress who should attempt a change of these things for her own special benefit1 would soon find herself in hot water4 ,think a moment4 ,suppose1 in going into a family for one or two days1 or a week1 ,i should begin by a request to have my meals served at certain hours--seven1 one and six1 for instance--how would it be received in eight out of ten families8 ,something would depend1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 on the way in which it was done4 ,if there was a formal stipulation1 or a cold demand1 ,i do not think the response would be a favorable one4 ,but1 ,i am satisfied that1 in your case1 with the signs of poor health on your countenance1 the mild request to be considered as far as practicable1 would1 in almost every instance1 receive a kind return4 ,perhaps so4 ,but1 it would make trouble--if no where else1 with servants1 who never like to do anything out of the common order4 ,i have been living around long enough to understand how such things operate2 and generally think it wisest to take what comes and make the best of it4 ,say1 rather1 the worst of it1 ,mary4 ,to my thinking1 you are making the worst of it4 ,but1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff did not inspire her seamstress with any purpose to act in the line of her suggestions4 ,her organization was of too sensitive a character to accept the shocks and repulses that she knew would attend1 in some quarters1 any such intrusion of her individual wants4 ,even with all the risks upon her1 she preferred to suffer whatever might come1 rather than ask for consideration4 ,during the two or three days that she remained with ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 that excellent lady watched her1 and ministered to her actual wants1 with all the tender solicitude of a mother2 and when she left1 tried to impress upon her mind the duty of asking1 wherever she might be1 for such consideration as her health required4 ,the ,monday morning on which ,mary ,carson was to appear bright and early at the dwelling of ,mrs4 ,lowe1 came round1 but it was far from being a bright morning4 ,an easterly storm had set in during the night2 the rain was falling fast1 and the wind driving gustily4 ,a chilliness crept through the frame of ,miss ,carson as she arose from her bed1 soon after the dull light began to creep in drearily through the half closed shutters of her room4 ,the air1 even within her chamber1 felt cold1 damp1 and penetrating4 ,from her window a steeple clock was visible4 ,she glanced at the face1 and saw that it was nearly seven4 ,so late as that6 she exclaimed1 in a tone of surprise1 and commenced dressing herself in a hurried1 nervous way4 ,by the time she was ready to leave her room1 she was exhausted by her own excited haste4 ,mary1 said a kind voice1 calling to her as she was moving down stairs1 you are not going out this morning4 ,oh1 yes1 ma'am1 she answered1 in a cheerful voice4 ,i have an engagement for to-day4 ,but the storm is too severe4 ,it's raining and blowing dreadfully4 ,wait an hour or two until it holds up a little4 ,oh dear1 no1 ,mrs4 ,grant6 ,i can't stop for a trifle of rain4 ,it's no trifle of rain this morning1 let me tell you1 ,mary4 ,you'll get drenched to the skin4 ,now don't go out1 child6 ,i must indeed1 ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,the lady expects me1 and ,i cannot disappoint her4 ,and ,miss ,carson kept on down stairs4 ,but you are not going without something on your stomach1 ,mary4 ,wait just for a few minutes until ,i can get you a cup of tea4 ,the water is boiling4 ,mary did not wait4 ,it was already past the time when she was expected at ,mrs4 ,lowe's2 and besides feeling a little uncomfortable on that account1 she had a slight sense of nausea1 with its attendant aversion to food4 ,so1 breaking away from ,mrs4 ,grant's concerned importunities1 she went forth into the cold driving storm4 ,it so happened1 that she had to go for nearly the entire distance of six or seven blocks1 almost in the teeth of the wind1 which blew a gale1 drenching her clothes in spite of all efforts to protect herself by means of an umbrella4 ,her feet and ankles were wet by the time she reached ,mrs4 ,lowe's1 and the lower parts of her dress and under-clothing saturated to a depth of ten or twelve inches4 ,i expected you half an hour ago1 said the lady1 in a coldly polite way1 as ,miss ,carson entered her presence4 ,the morning was dark and ,i overslept myself1 was the only reply4 ,mrs4 ,lowe did not remark upon the condition of ,mary's clothing and feet4 ,that was a matter of no concern to her4 ,it was a seamstress1 not a human being1 that was before her--a machine1 not thing of sensation4 ,so she conducted her to a room in the third story1 fronting east1 against the cloudy and misty windows of which the wind and rain were driving4 ,there was a damp1 chilly feeling in the air of this room4 ,mrs4 ,lowe had a knit shawl drawn around her shoulders2 but ,mary1 after removing her bonnet and cloak1 had no external protection for her chest beyond the closely fitting body of her merino dress4 ,her feet and hands felt very cold1 and she had that low shuddering1 experienced when one is inwardly chilled4 ,mrs4 ,lowe was ready for her seamstress4 ,there were the materials to make half a dozen dresses for ,angela and ,grace1 and one of the little ,misses was called immediately1 and the work of selecting and cutting a body pattern commenced1 ,mrs4 ,lowe herself superintending the operation1 and embarrassing ,mary at the start with her many suggestions4 ,nearly an hour had been spent in this way1 when the breakfast bell rang4 ,it was after eight o'clock4 ,without saying anything to ,mary1 ,mrs4 ,lowe and the child they had been fitting1 went down stairs4 ,this hour had been one of nervous excitement to ,mary ,carson4 ,her cheeks were hot--burning as if a fire shone upon them--but her cold hands1 and wet1 colder feet1 sent the blood in every returning circle1 robbed of warmth to the disturbed heart4 ,it was past nine o'clock when a servant called ,mary to breakfast4 ,as she arose from her chair1 she felt a sharp stitch in her left side2 so sharp1 that she caught her breath in half inspirations1 two or three times1 before venturing on a full inflation of the lungs4 ,she was1 at the same time1 conscious of an uncomfortable tightness across the chest4 ,the nausea1 and loathing of food1 which had given place soon after her arrival at ,mrs4 ,lowe's to a natural craving of the stomach for food1 had returned again1 and she felt1 as she went down stairs1 that unless something to tempt the appetite were set before her1 she could not take a mouthful4 ,there was nothing to tempt the appetite4 ,the table at which the family had eaten remained just as they had left it--soiled plates and scraps of broken bread and meat2 partly emptied cups and saucers2 dirty knives and forks1 spread about in confusion4--,amid all this1 a clean plate had been set for the seamstress2 and ,mrs4 ,lowe awaited her1 cold and dignified1 at the head of the table4 ,coffee or tea1 ,miss ,carson8 ,coffee4 ,it was a lukewarm decoction of spent coffee grounds1 flavored with tin1 and sweetened to nauseousness4 ,mary took a mouthful and swallowed it--put the cup again to her lips2 but they resolutely refused to unclose and admit another drop4 ,so she sat the cup down4 ,help yourself to some of the meat4 ,and ,mrs4 ,lowe pushed the dish1 which1 nearly three-quarters of an hour before had come upon the table bearing a smoking sirloin1 across to the seamstress4 ,now1 lying beside the bone1 and cemented to the dish by a stratum of chilled gravy1 was the fat1 stringy end of the steak4 ,the sight of it was enough for ,miss ,carson2 and she declined the offered delicacy4 ,there's bread4 ,she took a slice from a fresh baker's loaf2 and spread it with some oily-looking butter that remained on one of the butter plates4 ,it was slightly sour4 ,by forcing herself1 she swallowed two or three mouthfuls4 ,but the remonstrating palate would accept no more4 ,isn't the coffee good8 asked ,mrs4 ,lowe1 with a sharp quality in her voice1 seeing that ,miss ,carson did not venture upon a second mouthful4 ,i have very little appetite this morning1 was answered1 with an effort to smile and look cheerful4 ,perhaps you'd rather have tea4 ,shall ,i give you a cup8 ,and ,mrs4 ,lowe laid her hand on the teapot4 ,you may1 if you please4 ,mary felt an inward weakness that she knew was occasioned by lack of food1 and so accepted the offer of tea1 in the hope that it might prove more palatable than the coffee4 ,it had the merit of being hot1 and not of decidedly offensive flavor2 but it was little more in strength than sweetened water1 whitened with milk4 ,she drank off the cup1 and then left the table1 going1 with her still wet feet and skirts to the sewing-room4 ,rather a dainty young lady1 she heard ,mrs4 ,lowe remark to the waiter1 as she left the room4 ,the stitch in ,mary's side caught her again1 as she went up stairs1 and almost took her breath away2 and it was some time after she resumed her work1 before she could bear her body up straight on the left side4 ,in her damp feet and skirts1 on a chilly and rainy ,october day1 ,mary ,carson sat working until nearly three o'clock1 without rest or refreshment of any kind2 and when at last called to dinner1 the disordered condition of the table1 and the cold1 unpalatable food set before her1 extinguished1 instead of stimulating her sickly appetite4 ,she made a feint of eating1 to avoid attracting attention1 and then returned to the sewing-room1 the air of which1 as she re-entered1 seemed colder than that of the hall and dining-room4 ,the stitch in her side was not so bad during the afternoon2 but the dull pain was heavier1 and accompanied by a sickening sensation4 ,still1 she worked on1 cutting1 fitting and sewing with a patience and industry1 that1 considering her actual condition1 was surprising4 ,mrs4 ,lowe was in and out of the room frequently1 overlooking the work1 and marking its progress4 ,beyond the producing power of her seamstress1 she had no thought of that individual4 ,it did not come within the range of her questionings whether she were well or ill--weak or strong--exhausted by prolonged labor1 or in the full possession of bodily vigor4 ,to her1 she was simply an agent through which a certain service was obtained2 and beyond that service1 she was nothing4 ,the extent of her consideration was limited by the progressive creation of dresses for her children4 ,as that went on1 her thought dwelt with ,miss ,carson2 but penetrated no deeper4 ,she might be human2 might have an individual life full of wants1 yearnings1 and tender sensibilities2 might be conscious of bodily or mental suffering--but1 if so1 it was in a region so remote from that in which ,mrs4 ,lowe dwelt1 that no intelligence thereof reached her4 ,at six o'clock1 ,mary put up her work1 and1 taking her bonnet and shawl1 went down stairs1 intending to return home4 ,you're not going8 said ,mrs4 ,lowe1 meeting her on the way4 ,she spoke in some surprise4 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,i'm not very well1 and wish to get home4 ,what time is it8 ,mrs4 ,lowe drew out her watch4 ,only six o'clock4 ,i think you're going rather early4 ,it was late when you came this morning1 you know4 ,excuse me1 if you please1 said ,miss ,carson1 as she moved on4 ,i am not very well to-night4 ,to-morrow ,i will make it up4 ,mrs4 ,lowe muttered something that was not heard by the seamstress1 who kept on down stairs1 and left the house4 ,the rain was still falling and the wind blowing4 ,mary's feet were quite wet again by the time she reached home4 ,how are you1 child8 asked ,mrs4 ,grant1 in kind concern1 as ,mary came in4 ,not very well1 was answered4 ,oh6 ,i'm sorry6 ,have you taken cold8 ,i'm afraid that ,i have4 ,i said it was wrong in you to go out this morning4 ,did you get very wet8 ,yes4 ,mrs4 ,grant looked down at ,mary's feet4 ,are they damp8 ,a little4 ,come right into the sitting-room4 ,i've had a fire made up on purpose for you4 ,and the considerate ,mrs4 ,grant hurried ,mary into the small back room1 and taking off her cloak and bonnet1 placed her in a chair before the fire4 ,then1 as she drew off one of her shoes1 and clasped the foot in her hand1 she exclaimed-- ,soaking wet1 as ,i live6 ,then added1 after removing1 with kind officiousness1 the other shoe--,hold both feet to the fire1 while ,i run up and get you a pair of dry stockings4 ,don't take off the wet ones until ,i come back4 ,in a few minutes ,mrs4 ,grant returned with the dry stockings and a towel4 ,she bared one of the damp feet1 and dried and heated it thoroughly--then warmed one of the stockings and drew it on4 ,it feels so good1 said ,mary1 faintly1 yet with a tone of satisfaction4 ,then the other foot was dried1 warmed1 and covered4 ,on completing this welcome service1 ,mrs4 ,grant looked more steadily into ,mary's face1 and saw that her cheeks were flushed unnaturally1 and that her eyes shone with an unusual lustre4 ,she also noticed1 that in breathing there was an effort4 ,you got very wet this morning1 said ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,yes4 ,the wind blew right in my face all the way4 ,an umbrella was hardly of any use4 ,you dried yourself on getting to ,mrs4 ,lowe's8 ,mary shook her head4 ,what8 ,there was no fire in the room4 ,why1 ,mary6 ,i had no change of clothing1 and there was no fire in the room4 ,what could ,i do8 ,you could have gone down into the kitchen1 if nowhere else1 and dried your feet4 ,it would have been better if ,i had done so2 but you know how hard it is for me to intrude myself or give trouble4 ,give trouble6 ,how strangely you do act1 sometimes6 ,isn't life worth a little trouble to save8 ,mrs4 ,lowe should have seen to this4 ,didn't she notice your condition8 ,i think not4 ,well1 it's hard to say who deserves most censure1 you or she4 ,such trifling with health and life is a crime4 ,what's the matter8 ,she observed ,mary start as if from sudden pain4 ,i have suffered all day1 with an occasional sharp stitch in my side--it caught me just then4 ,mrs4 ,grant observed her more closely2 while doing so1 ,mary coughed two or three times4 ,the cough was tight and had a wheezing sound4 ,have you coughed much8 she asked4 ,not a great deal4 ,but ,i'm very tight here1 laying her hand over her breast4 ,i think1 she added1 a few moments afterwards1 that ,i'll go up to my room and get to bed4 ,i feel tired and sick4 ,wait until ,i can get you some tea1 replied ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,i'll bring down a pillow1 and you can lie here on the sofa4 ,thank you1 ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,you are so kind and thoughtful4 ,miss ,carson's voice shook a little4 ,the contrast between the day's selfish indifference of ,mrs4 ,lowe1 and the evening's motherly consideration of ,mrs4 ,grant1 touched her4 ,i will lie down here for a short time4 ,perhaps ,i shall feel better after getting some warm tea4 ,i've been chilly all day4 ,the pillow and a shawl were brought1 and ,mrs4 ,grant covered ,mary as she lay upon the sofa2 then she went to the kitchen to hurry up tea4 ,come1 dear1 she said1 half an hour afterwards1 laying her hand upon the now sleeping girl4 ,a drowsy feeling had come over ,mary1 and she had fallen into a heavy slumber soon after lying down4 ,the easy touch of ,mrs4 ,grant did not awaken her4 ,so she called louder1 and shook the sleeper more vigorously4 ,at this1 ,mary started up1 and looked around in a half-conscious1 bewildered manner4 ,her cheeks were like scarlet4 ,come1 dear--tea is ready1 said ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,oh6 ,yes4 ,and ,mary1 not yet clearly awake1 started to leave the room instead of approaching the table4 ,where are you going1 child8 ,mrs4 ,grant caught her arm4 ,mary stood still1 looking at ,mrs4 ,grant1 in a confused way4 ,tea is ready4 ,mrs4 ,grant spoke slowly and with emphasis4 ,oh6 ,ah6 ,yes4 ,i was asleep4 ,mary drew her hand across her eyes two or three times1 and then suffered ,mrs4 ,grant to lead her to the table1 where she sat down1 leaning forward heavily upon one arm4 ,take some of the toast1 said ,mrs4 ,grant1 after pouring a cup of tea4 ,mary helped herself1 in a dull way1 to a slice of toast1 but did not attempt to eat4 ,mrs4 ,grant looked at her narrowly from across the table1 and noticed that her eyes1 which had appeared large and glittering when she came home1 were now lustreless1 with the lids drooping heavily4 ,can't you eat anything8 asked ,mrs4 ,grant1 in a voice that expressed concern4 ,mary pushed her cup and plate away1 and leaning back1 wearily1 in her chair1 answered-- ,not just now4 ,i'm completely worn out1 and feel hot and oppressed4 ,mrs4 ,grant got up and came around to where ,miss ,carson was sitting4 ,as she laid her hand upon her forehead1 she said1 a little anxiously1 ,you have considerable fever1 ,mary4 ,i shouldn't wonder4 ,and a sudden cough seized her as she spoke4 ,she cried out as the rapid concussions jarred her1 and pressed one hand against her side4 ,oh dear6 ,it seemed as if a knife were cutting through me1 she said1 as the paroxysm subsided1 and she leaned her head against ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,come1 child1 and the kind woman drew upon one of her arms4 ,in bed is the place for you now4 ,they went up stairs1 and ,mary was soon undressed and in bed4 ,as she touched the cool sheets1 she shivered for a moment1 and then shrank down under the clothes1 shutting her eyes1 and lying very still4 ,how do you feel now8 asked ,mrs4 ,grant1 who stood bending over her4 ,mary did not reply4 ,does the pain in your side continue8 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,her voice was dull4 ,and the tightness over your breast8 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,what can ,i do for you8 ,nothing4 ,i want rest and sleep4 ,mrs4 ,grant stood for some time looking down upon ,mary's red cheeks2 red in clearly defined spots1 that made the pale forehead whiter by contrast4 ,something more than sleep is wanted1 ,i fear1 she said to herself1 as she passed from the chamber and went down stairs4 ,in less than half an hour she returned4 ,a moan reached her ears as she approached the room where the sick girl lay4 ,on entering1 she found her sitting high up in bed2 or1 rather1 reclining against the pillows1 which she had adjusted against the head-board4 ,her face1 which had lost much of its redness1 was pinched and had a distressed look4 ,her eyes turned anxiously to ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,how are you now1 ,mary8 ,oh1 ,i'm sick6 ,very sick1 ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,where8 ,how1 ,mary8 ,oh1 dear6' ,i'm so distressed here6 laying her hand on her breast4 ,and every time ,i draw a breath1 such a sharp pain runs through my side into my shoulder4 ,oh1 dear6 ,i feel very sick1 ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,shall ,i send for a doctor8 ,i don't know1 ma'am4 ,and ,miss ,carson threw her head from side to side1 uneasily--almost impatiently2 then cried out with pain1 as she took a deeper inspiration than usual4 ,mrs4 ,grant left the room1 and going down stairs1 despatched her servant for a physician1 who lived not far distant4 ,it is pleurisy1 said the doctor1 on examining the case4--,and a very severe attack1 he added1 aside1 to ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,of the particulars of his treatment1 we will not speak4 ,he was of the exhaustive school1 and took blood freely2 striking at the inflammation through a reduction of the vital system4 ,when he left his patient that night1 she was free from pain1 breathing feebly1 and without constriction of the chest4 ,in the morning1 he found her with considerable fever1 and suffering from a return of the pleuritic pain4 ,her pulse was low and quick1 and had a wiry thrill under the fingers4 ,the doctor had taken blood very freely on the night before1 and hesitated a little on the question of opening another vein1 or having recourse to cups4 ,as the lancet was at hand1 and most easy of use1 the vein was opened1 and permitted to flow until there was a marked reduction of pain4 ,after this1 an anodyne diaphoretic was prescribed1 and the doctor retired from the chamber with ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,he was much more particular1 now1 in his inquiries about his patient and the immediate cause of her illness4 ,on learning that she had been permitted to remain all day in a cold room1 with wet feet and damp clothing1 he shook his head soberly1 and remarked1 partly speaking to himself1 that doctors were not of much use in suicide or murder cases4 ,then he asked1 abruptly1 and with considerable excitement of manner-- ,in heaven's name6 who permitted this thing to be done8 ,in what family did it occur8 ,the lady for whom she worked yesterday is named ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,mrs4 ,lowe6 ,yes1 sir4 ,and she permitted that delicate girl to sit in wet clothing1 in a room without fire1 on a day like yesterday8 ,it is so1 doctor4 ,then ,i call ,mrs4 ,lowe a murderer6 ,the doctor spoke with excess of feeling4 ,do you think ,mary so very ill1 doctor8 asked ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,i do1 ma'am4 ,she is free from pain now4 ,so she was when ,i left her last night2 and ,i expected to find her showing marked improvement this morning4 ,but1 to my concern1 ,i find her really worse instead of better4 ,worse1 doctor8 ,not worse6 ,i say worse to you1 ,mrs4 ,grant1 in order that you may know how much depends on careful attendance4 ,send for the medicine ,i have prescribed at once1 and give it immediately4 ,it will quiet her system and produce sleep4 ,if perspiration follows1 we shall be on the right side4 ,i will call in again through the day4 ,if the pain in her side returns1 send for me4 ,the pain did return1 and the doctor was summoned4 ,he feared to strike his lancet again2 but cupped freely over the right side1 thus gaining for the suffering girl a measure of relief4 ,she lay1 after this1 in a kind of stupor for some hours4 ,on coming out of this1 she no longer had the lancinating pain in her side with every expansion of the lungs2 but1 instead1 a dull pain1 attended by a cough and tightness of the chest4 ,the cough was1 at first1 dry1 unsatisfactory1 and attended with anxiety4 ,then came a tough mucus1 a little streaked with blood4 ,the expectoration soon became freer1 and assumed a brownish hue4 ,a low fever accompanied these bad symptoms4 ,the case had become complicated with pneumonia1 and assumed a very dangerous type4 ,on the third day a consulting physician was called in4 ,he noted all the symptoms carefully1 and with a seriousness of manner that did not escape the watchful eyes of ,mrs4 ,grant4 ,he passed but few words with the attendant physician1 and their exact meaning was veiled by medical terms2 but ,mrs4 ,grant understood enough to satisfy her that little hope of a favorable issue was entertained4 ,about the time this consultation over the case of ,mary ,carson was in progress1 it happened that ,mrs4 ,wykoff received another visit from ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,i've called1 said the latter1 speaking in the tone of one who felt annoyed1 to ask where that sewing girl you recommended to me lives8 ,miss ,carson4 ,yes1 ,i believe that is her name4 ,didn't she come on ,monday1 according to appointment8 ,oh1 yes1 she came4 ,but ,i've seen nothing of her since4 ,ah6 ,is that so8 ,she may be sick4 ,the voice of ,mrs4 ,wykoff dropped to a shade of seriousness4 ,let me see--,monday--didn't it rain8--,yes1 now ,i remember2 it was a dreadful day4 ,perhaps she took cold4 ,she's very delicate4 ,did she get wet in coming to your house8 ,i'm sure ,i don't know4 ,there was a slight indication of annoyance on the part of ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,it was impossible1 raining and blowing as it did1 for her to escape wet feet1 if not drenched clothing4 ,was there fire in the room where she worked8 ,fire6 ,no4 ,we don't have grates or stoves in any of our rooms4 ,oh2 then there was a fire in the heater8 ,we never make fire in the heater before ,november1 answered ,mrs4 ,lowe1 with the manner of one who felt annoyed4 ,mrs4 ,wykoff mused for some moments4 ,excuse me1 she said1 for asking such minute questions2 but ,i know ,miss ,carson's extreme delicacy1 and ,i am fearful that she is sick1 as the result of a cold4 ,did you notice her when she came in on ,monday morning8 ,yes4 ,i was standing in the hall when the servant admitted her4 ,she came rather late4 ,did she go immediately to the room where she was to work8 ,yes4 ,you are sure she didn't go into the kitchen and dry her feet8 ,she went up stairs as soon as she came in4 ,did you go up with her8 ,yes4 ,excuse me1 ,mrs4 ,lowe1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 who saw that these questions were chafing her visitor1 for pressing my inquiries so closely4 ,i am much concerned at the fact of her absence from your house since ,monday4 ,did she change any of her clothing1--take off her stockings1 for stance1 and put on dry ones8 ,nothing of the kind4 ,but sat in her wet shoes and stockings all day6 ,i don't know that they were wet1 ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 said the lady1 with contracting brows4 ,could you have walked six or seven squares in the face of ,monday's driving storm1 ,mrs4 ,lowe1 and escaped wet feet8 ,of course not4 ,your stockings would have been wet half way to the knees1 and your skirts also4 ,there was a growing excitement about ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 united with an air of so much seriousness1 that ,mrs4 ,lowe began to feel a pressure of alarm4 ,selfish1 cold-hearted and indifferent to all in a social grade beneath her1 this lady was not quite ready to stand up in the world's face as one without common humanity4 ,the way in which ,mrs4 ,wykoff was presenting the case of ,miss ,carson on that stormy morning1 did not reflect very creditably upon her2 and the thought--,how would this sound1 if told of me8--did not leave her in the most comfortable frame of mind4 ,i hope she's not sick4 ,i'm sure the thought of her being wet never crossed my mind4 ,why didn't she speak of it herself8 ,she knew her own condition1 and that there was fire in the kitchen4 ,i declare6 some people act in a manner perfectly incomprehensible4 ,mrs4 ,lowe spoke now in a disturbed manner4 ,miss ,carson should have looked to this herself1 and she was wrong in not doing so--very wrong1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,but she is shrinking and sensitive to a fault--afraid of giving trouble or intruding herself4 ,it is our place1 ,i think1 when strangers come into our houses1 no matter under what circumstances1 to assume that they have a natural delicacy about asking for needed consideration1 and to see that all things due to them are tendered4 ,i cannot see that any exceptions to this rule are admissible4 ,to my thinking1 it applies to a servant1 a seamstress1 or a guest1 each in a just degree1 with equal force4 ,not that ,i am blameless in this thing4 ,far from it4 ,but ,i acknowledge my fault whenever it is seen1 and repenting1 resolve to act more humanely in the future4 ,where does ,miss ,carson live8 asked ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,i came to make the inquiry4 ,as ,i feel rather troubled about her1 answered ,mrs4 ,wykoff1 ,i will go to see her this afternoon4 ,i wish you would4 ,what you have said makes me feel a little uncomfortable4 ,i hope there is nothing wrong2 or1 at least1 that she is only slightly indisposed4 ,it was thoughtless in me4 ,but ,i was so much interested in the work she was doing that ,i never once thought of her personally4 ,did she come before breakfast8 ,oh1 yes4 ,excuse me2 but at what time did she get her breakfast8 ,there was just a little shrinking in the manner of ,mrs4 ,wykoff2 as she answered-- ,towards nine o'clock4 ,did she eat anything8 ,well1 no1 not much in particular4 ,i thought her a little dainty4 ,she took coffee2 but it didn't just appear to suit her appetite4 ,then ,i offered her tea1 and she drank a cup4 ,but didn't take any solid food8 ,very little4 ,she struck me as a dainty ,miss4 ,she is weak and delicate1 ,mrs4 ,lowe1 as any one who looks into her face may see4 ,did you give her a lunch towards noon8 ,a lunch6 ,why no6 ,mrs4 ,lowe elevated her brows4 ,how late was it when she took dinner8 ,three o'clock4 ,did she eat heartily8 ,i didn't notice her particularly4 ,she was at the table for only a few minutes4 ,i fear for the worst1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,if ,mary ,carson sat all day on ,monday in damp clothes1 wet feet1 and without taking a sufficient quantity of nourishing food1 ,i wouldn't give much for her life4 ,mrs4 ,lowe gathered her shawl around her1 and arose to depart4 ,there was a cloud on her face4 ,you will see ,miss ,carson to-day8 she said4 ,oh1 yes4 ,at what time do you think of going8 ,i shall not be able to leave home before late in the afternoon4 ,say four o'clock4 ,not earlier than half past four4 ,mrs4 ,lowe stood for some moments with the air of one who hesitated about doing something4 ,will you call for me8 ,her voice was slightly depressed4 ,certainly4 ,what you have said troubles me4 ,i'm sure ,i didn't mean to be unkind4 ,it was thoughtlessness altogether4 ,i hope she's not ill4 ,i'll leave home at half past four1 said ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,it isn't over ten minutes' walk to your house4 ,you'll find me all ready4 ,oh1 dear6 and ,mrs4 ,lowe drew a long1 sighing breath4 ,i hope she didn't take cold at my house4 ,i hope nothing serious will grow out of it4 ,i wouldn't have anything of this kind happen for the world4 ,people are so uncharitable4 ,if it should get out1 ,i would be talked about dreadfully2 and ,i'm sure the girl is a great deal more to blame than ,i am4 ,why didn't she see to it that her feet and clothes were dried before she sat down to her work8 ,mrs4 ,wykoff did not answer4 ,mrs4 ,lowe stood for a few moments1 waiting for some exculpatory suggestion2 but ,mrs4 ,wykoff had none to offer4 ,good morning4 ,you'll find me all ready when you call4 ,good morning4 ,and the ladies parted4 ,ah1 ,mrs4 ,lowe6 ,how are you this morning8 ,a street meeting1 ten minutes later4 ,right well4 ,how are you8 ,well as usual4 ,i just called at your house4 ,ah1 indeed6 ,come1 go back again4 ,no1 thank you2 ,i've several calls to make this morning4 ,but1 d' you know1 there's a strange story afloat about a certain lady of your acquaintance8 ,of my acquaintance8 ,yes2 a lady with whom you are very1 very intimate4 ,what is it8 ,there was a little anxiety mixed with the curious air of ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,something about murdering a sewing-girl4 ,what8 ,mrs4 ,lowe started as if she had received a blow2 a frightened look came into her face4 ,but there isn't anything in it1 of course1 said the friend1 in considerable astonishment at the effect produced on ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,tell me just what you have heard1 said the latter4 ,you mean me by the lady of your intimate acquaintance4 ,yes2 the talk is about you4 ,it came from doctor somebody2 ,i don't know whom4 ,he's attending the girl4 ,what is said8 ,i wish to know4 ,don't keep back anything on account of my feelings4 ,i shall know as to its truth or falsehood2 and1 true or false1 it is better that ,i should stand fully advised4 ,a seamstress came to work for me on ,monday--it was a stormy day1 you know--took cold from wet feet1 and is now very ill4 ,that much ,i know4 ,it might have happened at your house1 or your neighbors1 without legitimate blame lying against either of you4 ,now1 out of this simple fact1 what dreadful report is circulated to my injury8 ,as ,i have just said1 don't keep anything back4 ,the story1 replied the friend1 is that she walked for half a mile before breakfast1 in the face of that terrible north-east storm1 and came to you with feet soaking and skirts wet to the knees1 and that you put her to work1 in this condition1 in a cold room1 and suffered her to sit in her wet garments all day4 ,that1 in consequence1 she went home sick1 was attacked with pleurisy in the evening1 which soon ran into acute pneumonia1 and that she is now dying4 ,the doctor1 who told my friend1 called it murder1 and said1 without hesitation1 that you were a murderer4 ,dying6 ,did he say that she was dying8 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,the doctor said that you might as well have put a pistol ball through her head4 ,me6 ,yes1 you4 ,those were his words1 as repeated by my friend4 ,who is the friend to whom you refer8 ,mrs4 ,t----4 ,and1 without a word of inquiry as to the degree of blame referable to me1 she repeats this wholesale charge1 to my injury8 ,verily1 that is ,christian charity6 ,i suggested caution on her part1 and started to see you at once4 ,then she did sit in her wet clothing all day at your house8 ,i don't know whether she did or not1 replied ,mrs4 ,lowe1 fretfully4 ,she was of woman's age1 and competent to take care of herself4 ,if she came in wet1 she knew it2 and there was fire in the house1 at which she could have dried herself4 ,even a half-witted person1 starting from home on a morning like that1 and expecting to be absent all day1 would have provided herself with dry stockings and slippers for a change4 ,if the girl dies from cold taken on that occasion1 it must be set down to suicide1 not murder4 ,i may have been thoughtless1 but ,i am not responsible4 ,i'm sorry for her2 but ,i cannot take blame to myself4 ,the same thing might have happened in your house4 ,it might have happened in other houses than yours1 ,mrs4 ,lowe1 ,i will admit1 was replied4 ,but ,i do not think it would have happened in mine4 ,i was once a seamstress myself and for nearly two years went out to work in families4 ,what ,i experienced during those two years has made me considerate towards all who come into my house in that capacity4 ,many who are compelled to earn a living with the needle1 were once in better condition than now1 and the change touches some of them rather sharply4 ,in some families they are treated with a thoughtful kindness1 in strong contrast with what they receive in other families4 ,if sensitive and retiring1 they learn to be very chary about asking for anything beyond what is conceded1 and bear1 rather than suggest or complain4 ,i've no patience with that kind of sensitiveness1 replied ,mrs4 ,lowe2 it's simply ridiculous2 and not only ridiculous1 but wrong4 ,is every sewing-girl who comes into your house to be treated like an honored guest8 ,we are in no danger of erring1 ,mrs4 ,lowe1 was answered1 on the side of considerate kindness1 even to sewing-women4 ,they are human1 and have wants1 and weaknesses1 and bodily conditions that as imperatively demand a timely and just regard as those of the most honored guest who may sojourn with us4 ,and what is more1 as ,i hold1 we cannot omit our duty either to the one or to the other1 and be blameless4 ,but ,i must hurry on4 ,good morning1 ,mrs4 ,lowe4 ,good morning1 was coldly responded4 ,and the two ladies parted4 ,we advance the time a few hours4 ,it is nearly sundown1 and the slant beams are coming in through the partly-raised blinds1 and falling on the bed1 where1 white1 and panting for the shortcoming breath1 lies ,mary ,carson1 a little raised by pillows against which her head rests motionless4 ,her eyes are shut1 the brown lashes lying in two deep fringes on her cheeks4 ,away from her temples and forehead the hair has been smoothly brushed by loving hands1 and there is a spiritual beauty in her face that is suggestive of heaven4 ,mrs4 ,grant is on one side of the bed1 and the physician on the other4 ,both are gazing intently on the sick girl's face4 ,the door opens1 and two ladies come in1 noiselessly--,mrs4 ,lowe and ,mrs4 ,wykoff4 ,they are strangers there to all but ,mary ,carson1 and she has passed too far on the journey homeward for mortal recognitions4 ,mrs4 ,grant moves a little back from the bed1 and the two ladies stand in her place1 leaning forward1 with half-suspended breathing4 ,the almost classic beauty of ,miss ,carson's face2 the exquisite cutting of every feature2 the purity of its tone--are all at once so apparent to ,mrs4 ,lowe that she gazes down1 wonder and admiration mingling with awe and self-accusation4 ,there is a slight convulsive cough1 with a fleeting spasm4 ,the white lips are stained4 ,mrs4 ,lowe shudders4 ,the stain is wiped off1 and all is still as before4 ,now the slanting sun rays touch the pillows1 close beside the white face1 lighting it with a glory that seems not of the earth4 ,they fade1 and life fades with them1 going out as they recede4 ,with the last pencil of sunbeams passes the soul of ,mary ,carson4 ,it is over6 ,the physician breathes deeply1 and moves backwards from the bed4 ,over with her1 he adds1 like one impelled by crowding thoughts to untimely utterance4 ,the bills of mortality will say pneumonia--it were better written murder4 ,call it murder1 or suicide1 as you will2 only1 fair reader1 see to it that responsibility in such a case lies never at your door4 ,x4 ,,the ,,nursery ,,maid4 ,i ,,did not feel in a very good humor either with myself or with ,polly1 my nursery maid4 ,the fact is1 ,polly had displeased me2 and ,i1 while under the influence of rather excited feelings1 had rebuked her with a degree of intemperance not exactly becoming in a ,christian gentlewoman1 or just to a well meaning1 though not perfect domestic4 ,polly had taken my sharp words without replying4 ,they seemed to stun her4 ,she stood for a few moments1 after the vials of my wrath were emptied1 her face paler than usual1 and her lips almost colorless4 ,then she turned and walked from my room with a slow but firm step4 ,there was an air of purpose about her1 and a manner that puzzled me a little4 ,the thermometer of my feelings was gradually falling1 though not yet reduced very far below fever-heat1 when ,polly stood again before me4 ,a red spot now burned on each cheek1 and her eyes were steady as she let them rest in mine4 ,mrs4 ,wilkins1 said she1 firmly1 yet respectfully1 ,i am going to leave when my month is up4 ,now1 ,i have my own share of willfulness and impulsive independence4 ,so ,i answered1 without hesitation or reflection1 ,very well1 ,polly4 ,if you wish to leave1 ,i will look for another to fill your place4 ,and ,i drew myself up with an air of dignity4 ,polly retired as quickly as she came1 and ,i was left alone with my not very agreeable thoughts for companions4 ,polly had been in my family for nearly four years1 in the capacity of nurse and chamber maid4 ,she was capable1 faithful1 kind in her disposition1 and industrious4 ,the children were all attached to her1 and her influence over them was good4 ,i had often said to myself in view of ,polly's excellent qualities1 ,she is a treasure6 ,and1 always1 the thought of losing her services had been an unpleasant one4 ,of late1 in some things1 ,polly had failed to give the satisfaction of former times4 ,she was neither so cheerful1 nor so thoughtful1 nor had she her usual patience with the children4 ,her disposition is altering1 ,i said to myself1 now and then1 in view of this change2 something has spoiled her4 ,you have indulged her too much1 ,i suppose1 was the reason given by my husband1 whenever ,i ventured to introduce to his notice the shortcomings of ,polly4 ,you are an expert at the business of spoiling domestics4 ,my good opinion of myself was generally flattered by this estimate of the case2 and1 as this good opinion strengthened1 a feeling of indignation against ,polly for her ingratitude1 as ,i was pleased to call it1 found a lodging in my heart4 ,and so the matter had gone on1 from small beginnings1 until a state of dissatisfaction on the one part1 and coldness on the other1 had grown up between mistress and maid4 ,i asked no questions of ,polly1 as to the change in her manner1 but made my own inferences1 and took1 for granted1 my own conclusions4 ,i had spoiled her by indulgence--that was clear4 ,as a thing of course1 this view was not very favorable to a just and patient estimate of her conduct1 whenever it failed to meet my approval4 ,on the present occasion1 she had neglected the performance of certain services1 in consequence of which ,i suffered some small inconvenience1 and a great deal of annoyance4 ,i don't know what's come over you1 ,polly1 said ,i to her sharply4 ,something has spoiled you outright2 and ,i tell you now1 once for all1 that you'll have to mend your ways considerably1 if you expect to remain much longer in this family4 ,the language was hard enough1 but the manner harder and more offensive4 ,i had never spoken to her before with anything like the severity now used4 ,the result of this intemperance of speech on my part1 the reader has seen4 ,polly gave notice that she would leave1 and ,i accepted the notice4 ,for a short time after the girl retired from my room1 ,i maintained a state of half indignant independence2 but1 as to being satisfied with myself1 that was out of the question4 ,i had lost my temper1 and1 as is usual in such cases1 had been harsh1 and it might be1 unjust4 ,i was about to lose the services of a domestic1 whose good qualities so far overbalanced all defects and shortcomings1 that ,i could hardly hope to supply her place4 ,how could the children give her up8 ,this question came home with a most unpleasant suggestion of consequences4 ,but1 as the disturbance of my feelings went on subsiding1 and thought grew clearer and clearer1 that which most troubled me was a sense of injustice towards ,polly4 ,the suggestion came stealing into my mind1 that the something wrong about her might involve a great deal more than ,i had1 in a narrow reference of things to my own affairs1 imagined4 ,polly was certainly changed2 but1 might not the change have its origin in mental conflict or suffering1 which entitled her to pity and consideration1 instead of blame8 ,this was a new thought1 which in no way tended to increase a feeling of self-approval4 ,she is human1 like the rest of us1 said ,i1 as ,i sat talking over the matter with myself1 and every human heart has its portion of bitterness4 ,the weak must bear in weakness1 as well as the strong in strength2 and the light burden rests as painfully on the back that bends in feebleness1 as does the heavy one on ,atlas-shoulders4 ,we are too apt to regard those who serve us as mere working machines4 ,rarely do we consider them as possessing like wants and weaknesses1 like sympathies and yearnings with ourselves4 ,anything will do for them4 ,under any external circumstances1 is their duty to be satisfied4 ,i was wrong in this matter4 ,nothing was now clearer to me than this4 ,but1 how was ,i to get right8 ,that was the puzzling question4 ,i thought1 and thought--looking at the difficulty first on this side1 and then on that4 ,no way of escape presented itself1 except through some open or implied acknowledgment of wrong2 that is1 ,i must have some plain1 kind talk with ,polly1 to begin with1 and thus show her1 by an entire change of manner1 that ,i was conscious of having spoken to her in a way that was not met by my own self-approval4 ,pride was not slow in vindicating her own position among the mental powers4 ,she was not willing to see me humble myself to a servant4 ,polly had given notice that she was going to leave1 and if ,i made concession1 she would1 at once conclude that ,i did so meanly1 from self-interest1 because ,i wished to retain her services4 ,my naturally independent spirit revolted under this view of the case1 but ,i marshalled some of the better forces of my mind1 and took the field bravely on the side of right and duty4 ,for some time the conflict went on2 then the better elements of my nature gained the victory4 ,when the decision was made1 ,i sent a message for ,polly4 ,i saw1 as she entered my room1 that her cheeks no longer burned1 and that the fire had died out in her eyes4 ,her face was pale1 and its expression sad1 but enduring4 ,polly1 said ,i1 kindly1 sit down4 ,i would like to have some talk with you4 ,the girl seemed taken by surprise4 ,her face warmed a little1 and her eyes1 which had been turned aside from mine1 looked at me with a glance of inquiry4 ,there1 ,polly--and ,i pointed to a chair--sit down4 ,she obeyed1 but with a weary1 patient air1 like one whose feelings were painfully oppressed4 ,polly1 said ,i1 with kindness and interest in my voice1 has anything troubled you of late8 ,her face flushed and her eyes reddened4 ,if there has1 ,polly1 and ,i can help you in any way1 speak to me as a friend4 ,you can trust me4 ,i was not prepared for the sudden and strong emotion that instantly manifested itself4 ,her face fell into her hands1 and she sobbed out1 with a violence that startled me4 ,i waited until she grew calm1 and then said1 laying a hand kindly upon her as ,i spoke-- ,polly1 you can talk to me as freely as if ,i were your mother4 ,speak plainly1 and if ,i can advise you or aid you in any way1 be sure that ,i will do it4 ,i don't think you can help me any1 ma'am1 unless it is to bear my trouble more patiently1 she answered1 in a subdued way4 ,trouble1 child6 ,what trouble8 ,has anything gone wrong with you8 ,the manner in which this inquiry was made1 aroused her1 and she said quickly and with feeling3 ,wrong with me8 ,o no1 ma'am6 ,but you are in trouble1 ,polly4 ,not for myself1 ma'am--not for myself1 was her earnest reply4 ,for whom1 then1 ,polly8 ,the girl did not answer for some moments4 ,then with a long1 deep sigh1 she said3 ,you never saw my brother ,tom1 ma'am4 ,oh1 he was such a nice boy1 and ,i was so fond of him6 ,he had a hard place where he worked1 and they paid him so little that1 poor fellow6 if ,i hadn't spent half my wages on him1 he'd never have looked fit to be seen among folks4 ,when he was eighteen he seemed to me perfect4 ,he was so good and kind4 ,but-- and the girl's voice almost broke down--somehow1 he began to change after that4 ,i think he fell into bad company4 ,oh1 ma'am6 ,it seemed as if it would have killed me the first time ,i found that he had been drinking1 and was not himself4 ,i cried all night for two or three nights4 ,when we met again ,i tried to talk with ,tom about it1 but he wouldn't hear a word1 and1 for the first time in his life1 got angry with his sister4 ,it has been going on from bad1 to worse ever since1 and ,i've almost given up hope4 ,he's several years younger than you are1 ,polly4 ,yes1 ma'am4 ,he was only ten years old when our mother died4 ,i am glad she is dead now1 what ,i've never said before4 ,there were only two of us--,tom and ,i2 and ,i being nearly six years the oldest1 felt like a mother as well as a sister to him4 ,i've never spent much on myself as you know1 and never had as good clothes as other girls with my wages4 ,it took nearly everything for ,tom4 ,oh1 dear6 ,what is to come of it all8 ,it will kill me1 ,i'm afraid4 ,a few questions on my part brought out particulars in regard to ,polly's brother that satisfy me of his great lapse from virtue and sobriety4 ,he was now past twenty1 and from all ,i could learn1 was moving swift-footed along the road to destruction4 ,there followed a dead silence for some time after all the story was told4 ,what could ,i say8 ,the case was one in which it seemed that ,i could offer neither advice nor consolation4 ,but it was in my power to show interest in the girl1 and to let her feel that she had my sympathy4 ,she was sitting with her eyes cast down1 and a look of sorrow on her pale1 thin face--,i had not before re-marked the signs of emaciation--that touched me deeply4 ,polly1 said ,i1 with as much kindness of tone as ,i could express1 it is the lot of all to have trouble1 and each heart knows its own bitterness4 ,but on some the trouble falls with a weight that seems impossible to be borne4 ,and this is your case4 ,yet it only seems to be so1 for as our day is1 so shall our strength be4 ,if you cannot draw your brother away from the dangerous paths in which he is walking1 you can pray for him1 and the prayer of earnest love will bring your spirit so near to his spirit1 that ,god may be able to influence him for good through this presence of your spirit with his4 ,polly looked at me with a light flashing in her face1 as if a new hope had dawned upon her heart4 ,oh1 ma'am1 she said1 ,i have prayed1 and do pray for him daily4 ,but then ,i think ,god loves him better than ,i can love him1 and needs none of my prayer in the case4 ,and so a chill falls over me1 and everything grows dark and hopeless--for1 of myself1 ,i can do nothing4 ,our prayers cannot change the purposes of ,god towards any one2 but ,god works by means1 and our prayers may be the means through which he can help another4 ,how8 ,how8 ,oh1 tell me how1 ,mrs4 ,wilkins8 ,the girl spoke with great eagerness4 ,i had an important truth to communicate1 but how was ,i to make it clear to her simple mind8 ,i thought for a moment1 and then said-- ,when we think of others1 we see them4 ,in our minds8 ,yes1 ,polly4 ,we see them with the eyes of our minds1 and are also present with them as to our minds1 or spirits4 ,have you hot noticed that on some occasions you suddenly thought of a person1 and that in a little while afterwards that person came in8 ,oh1 yes1 ,i've often noticed1 and wondered why it should be so4 ,well1 the person in coming to see you1 or in approaching the place where you were1 thought of you so distinctly that she was present to your mind1 or spirit1 and you saw her with the eyes of your mind4 ,if this be the right explanation1 as ,i believe it is1 then1 if we think intently of others1 and especially if we think with a strong affection1 we are present with them so fully that they think of us1 and see our forms with the eyes of their spirits4 ,and now1 ,polly1 keeping this in mind1 we may see how praying1 in tender love for another1 may enable ,god to do him good2 for you know that men and angels are co-workers with ,god in all good4 ,on the wings of our thought and love1 angelic spirits1 who are present with us in prayer1 may pass with us to the object of our tender interest and thus gaining audience1 as it were1 stir the heart with good impulses4 ,and who can tell how effectual this may be1 if of daily act and long continuance8 ,i paused to see if ,i was comprehended4 ,polly was listening intently1 with her eyes upon the floor4 ,she looked up1 after a moment1 her countenance calmer than before1 but bearing so hopeful an aspect that ,i was touched with wonder4 ,i will pray for him morning1 noon1 and night1 she said1 and if1 bodily1 ,i cannot be near him1 my spirit shall be present with his many times each day4 ,oh1 if ,i could but draw him back from the evil into which he has fallen6 ,a sister's loving prayer1 and the memory of his mother in heaven1 will prove1 ,i trust1 ,polly1 too potent for all his enemies4 ,take courage6 ,in the silence that followed this last remark1 ,polly arose and stood as if there was something yet unsaid in her mind4 ,i understood her1 and made the way plain for both of us4 ,if ,i had known of this before1 it would have explained to me some things that gave my mind an unfavorable impression4 ,you have not been like yourself for some time past4 ,how could ,i1 ma'am8 ,polly's voice trembled and her eyes again filled with tears4 ,i never meant to displease you2 but---- ,all is explained1 said ,i1 interrupting her4 ,i see just how it is2 and if ,i have said a word that hurt you1 ,i am sorry for it4 ,no one could have given better satisfaction in a family than you have given4 ,i have always tried to do right1 murmured the poor girl1 sadly4 ,i know it1 ,polly4 ,my tones were encouraging4 ,and if you will forget the unkind way in which ,i spoke to you this morning1 and let things remain as they were1 it may be better for both of us4 ,you are not fit1 taking your state of mind as it now is1 to go among strangers4 ,polly looked at me with gratitude and forgiveness in her wet eyes4 ,there was a motion of reply about her lips1 but she did not trust herself to speak4 ,shall it be as it was1 ,polly8 ,oh1 yes1 ma'am6 ,i don't wish to leave you2 and particularly1 not now4 ,i am not fit1 as you say1 to go among strangers4 ,but you must bear with me a little2 for ,i can't always keep my thoughts about me4 ,when ,polly retired from my room1 ,i set myself to thinking over what had happened4 ,the lesson went deeply into my heart4 ,poor girl6 what a heavy burden rested upon her weak shoulders4 ,no wonder that she bent under it6 ,no wonder that she was changed6 ,she was no subject for angry reproof2 but for pity and forbearance4 ,if she had come short in service1 or failed to enter upon her daily tasks with the old cheerfulness1 no blame could attach to her1 for the defect was of force and not of will4 ,ah1 said ,i1 as ,i pondered the matter1 how little inclined are we to consider those who stand below us in the social scale1 or to think of them as having like passions1 like weaknesses1 like hopes and fears with ourselves4 ,we deal with them too often as if they were mere working machines1 and grow impatient if they show signs of pain1 weariness1 or irritation4 ,we are quick to blame and slow to praise--chary of kind words1 but voluble in reproof--holding ourselves superior in station1 but not always showing ourselves superior in thoughtfulness1 self-control1 and kind forbearance4 ,ah me6 ,life is a lesson-book1 and we turn a new page every day4 ,,xi4 ,,my ,,father4 ,i ,,have a very early recollection of my father as a cheerful man1 and of our home as a place full of the heart's warmest sunshine4 ,but the father of my childhood and the father of my more advanced years wore a very different exterior4 ,he had grown silent1 thoughtful1 abstracted1 but not morose4 ,as his children sprang up around him1 full of life and hope1 he seemed to lose the buoyant spirits of his earlier manhood4 ,i did not observe this at the time1 for ,i had not learned to observe and reflect4 ,life was a simple state of enjoyment4 ,trial had not quickened my perceptions1 nor suffering taught me an unselfish regard for others4 ,the home provided by my father was elegant--some would have called it luxurious4 ,on our education and accomplishments no expense was spared4 ,i had the best teachers--and1 of course1 the most expensive2 with none others would ,i have been satisfied1 for ,i had come naturally to regard myself as on a social equality with the fashionable young friends who were my companions1 and who indulged the fashionable vice of depreciating everything that did not come up to a certain acknowledged standard4 ,yearly ,i went to ,saratoga or ,newport with my sisters1 and at a cost which ,i now think of with amazement4 ,sometimes my mother went with us1 but my father never4 ,he was not able to leave his business4 ,business6 ,how ,i came to dislike the word6 ,it was always business when we asked him to go anywhere with us2 business hurried him away from his hastily-eaten meals2 business absorbed all his thoughts1 and robbed us of our father4 ,i wish father would give up business1 ,i said to my mother one day1 and take some comfort of his life4 ,mr4 ,woodward has retired1 and is now living on his income4 ,my mother looked at me strangely and sighed1 but answered nothing4 ,about this time my father showed some inclination to repress our growing disposition to spend money extravagantly in dress4 ,nothing but hundred-dollar shawl would suit my ideas4 ,ada ,white had been presented by her father with a hundred-dollar cashmere1 and ,i did not mean to be put off with anything less4 ,father1 ,i want a hundred dollars1 said ,i to him one morning as he was leaving the house1 after eating his light breakfast4 ,he had grown dyspeptic1 and had to be careful and sparing in his diet4 ,a hundred dollars6 ,he looked surprised2 in fact1 ,i noticed that my request made him start4 ,what do you want with so much money8 ,i have nothing seasonable to wear1 said ,i1 very firmly2 and as ,i must have a shawl1 ,i might as well get a good one while ,i am about it4 ,i saw one at ,stewart's yesterday that is just the thing4 ,ada ,white's father gave her a shawl exactly like it1 and you must let me have the money to buy this one4 ,it will last my lifetime4 ,a hundred dollars is a large price for a shawl1 said my father1 in his sober way4 ,oh1 dear1 no6 was my emphatic answer2 a hundred dollars is a low price for a shawl4 ,jane ,wharton's cost five hundred4 ,i'll think about it1 said my father1 turning from me rather abruptly4 ,when he came home at dinner-time1 ,i was alone in the parlor1 practicing a4 new piece of music which my fashionable teacher had left me4 ,he was paid three dollars for every lesson4 ,my father smiled as he laid a hundred-dollar bill on the keys of the piano4 ,i started up1 and kissing him1 said1 with the ardor of a pleased girl-- ,what a dear good father you are6 ,the return was ample4 ,he always seemed most pleased when he could gratify some wish or supply some want of his children4 ,ah6 if we had been less selfish--less exacting6 ,it was hardly to be expected that my sisters would see me the possessor of a hundred-dollar shawl1 and not desire a like addition to their wardrobes4 ,i want a hundred dollars1 said my sister ,jane1 on the next morning1 as my father was about leaving for his store4 ,can't spare it to-day1 my child1 ,i heard him answer1 kindly1 but firmly4 ,oh1 but ,i must have it1 urged my sister4 ,i gave you twenty-five dollars only day before yesterday1 my father replied to this4 ,what have you done with that8 ,spent it for gloves and laces1 said ,jane1 in a light way1 as if the sum were of the smallest possible consequence4 ,i am not made of money1 child4 ,the tone of my father's voice struck me as unusually sober--almost sad4 ,but ,jane replied instantly1 and with something of reproach and complaint in her tones--,i shouldn't think you were1 if you find it so hard to part with a hundred dollars4 ,i have a large payment to make to-day--my father spoke with unusual decision of manner--and shall need every dollar that ,i can raise4 ,you gave sister a hundred dollars yesterday1 said ,jane1 almost petulantly4 ,not a word of reply did my father make4 ,i was looking at him1 and saw an expression on his countenance that was new to me--an expression of pain1 mingled with fear4 ,he turned away slowly1 and in silence left the house4 ,jane1 said my mother1 addressing her from the stairway1 on which she had been standing1 how could you speak so to your father8 ,i have just as good right to a hundred dollar shawl as ,anna1 replied my sister1 in a very undutiful tone4 ,and what is more1 ,im going to have one4 ,what reason did your father give for refusing your request to-day8 asked my mother4 ,couldn't spare the money6 ,had a large payment to make6 ,only an excuse6 ,stop1 my child6 was the quick1 firm remark1 made with unusual feeling4 ,is that the way to speak of so good a father8 ,of one who has ever been so kindly indulgent8 ,jane6 ,jane6 ,you know not what you are saying6 ,my sister looked something abashed at this unexpected rebuke1 when my mother took occasion to add1 with an earnestness of manner that ,i could not help remarking as singular1 ,your father is troubled about something4 ,business may not be going on to his satisfaction4 ,last night ,i awoke1 and found him walking the floor4 ,to my questions he merely answered that he was wakeful4 ,his health is not so good as formerly1 and his spirits are low4 ,don't1 let me pray you1 do anything to worry him4 ,say no more about this money1 ,jane2 you will get it whenever it can be spared4 ,i did not see my father again until tea-time4 ,occasionally1 business engagements pressed upon him so closely that he did not come home at the usual hour for dining4 ,he looked pale--weary--almost haggard4 ,dear father1 are you sick8 said ,i1 laying a hand upon him1 and gazing earnestly into his countenance4 ,i do not feel very well1 he replied1 partly averting his face1 as if he did not wish me to read its expression too closely4 ,i have had a weary day4 ,you must take more recreation1 said ,i4 ,this excessive devotion to business is destroying your health4 ,why will you do it1 father8 ,he merely sighed as he passed onwards1 and ascended to his own room4 ,at tea-time ,i observed that his face was unusually sober4 ,his silence was nothing uncommon1 and so that passed without remark from any one4 ,on the next day ,jane received the hundred dollars1 which was spent for a shawl like mine4 ,this brought the sunshine back to her face4 ,her moody looks1 ,i saw1 disturbed my father4 ,from this time1 the hand which had ever been ready to supply all our wants real or imaginary1 opened less promptly at our demands4 ,my father talked occasionally of retrenchment and economy when some of our extravagant bills came in2 but we paid little heed to his remarks on this head4 ,where could we retrench8 ,in what could we economize8 ,the very idea was absurd4 ,we had nothing that others moving in our circle did not have4 ,our house and furniture would hardly compare favorably with the houses and furniture of many of our fashionable friends4 ,we dressed no better--indeed1 not so well as dozens of our acquaintances4 ,retrenchment and economy6 ,i remember laughing with my sisters at the words1 and wondering with them what could be coming over our father4 ,in a half-amused way1 we enumerated the various items of imaginary reform1 beginning at the annual summer recreations1 and ending with our milliner's bills4 ,in mock seriousness1 we proposed to take the places of cook1 chambermaid1 and waiter1 and thus save these items of expense in the family4 ,we had quite a merry time over our fancied reforms4 ,but our father was serious4 ,steadily he persisted in what seemed to us a growing penuriousness4 ,every demand for money seemed to give him a partial shock1 and every dollar that came to us was parted with reluctantly4 ,all this was something new2 but we thought less than we felt about it4 ,our father seemed to be getting into a very singular state of mind4 ,summer came round--,i shall never forget that summer--and we commenced making our annual preparations for ,saratoga4 ,money was1 of course1 an indispensable prerequisite4 ,i asked for fifty dollars4 ,for what purpose8 inquired my father4 ,i haven't a single dress fit to appear in away from home1 said ,i4 ,where are you going8 he asked4 ,i thought the question a strange one1 and replied1 a little curtly1 ,to ,saratoga1 of course4 ,oh6 ,it seemed new to him4 ,then he repeated my words1 in a questioning kind of a way1 as if his mind were not altogether satisfied on the subject4 ,to ,saratoga8 ,yes1 sir4 ,to ,saratoga4 ,we always go there4 ,we shall close the season at ,newport this year4 ,who else is going8 ,my father's manner was strange4 ,i had never seen him just in the mood he then appeared to be4 ,jane is going1 of course2 and so is ,emily4 ,and we are trying to persuade mother1 also4 ,she didn't go last year4 ,won't you spend a week or two with us8 ,now do say yes4 ,my father shook his head at this last proposal1 and said1 ,no1 child6 very decidedly4 ,why8 ,i asked4 ,because ,i have something of more importance to think about than ,saratoga and its fashionable follies4 ,business6 business6 said ,i1 impatiently4 ,it is the ,moloch1 father1 to which you sacrifice every social pleasure1 every home delight1 every good6 ,already you have laid health and happiness upon the bloody altars of this false god6 ,a few quick flushes went over his pale face1 and then its expression became very sad4 ,anna1 he said1 after a brief silence1 during which even my unpracticed eyes could see that an intense struggle was going on in his mind1 ,anna1 you will have to give up your visit to ,saratoga this year4 ,why1 father6 ,it seemed as if my blood were instantly on fire4 ,my face was1 of course1 all in a glow4 ,i was confounded1 and1 let me confess it1 indignant2 it seemed so like a tyrannical outrage4 ,it is simply as ,i say1 my daughter4 ,he spoke without visible excitement4 ,i cannot afford the expense this season1 and you will1 therefore1 all have to remain in the city4 ,that's impossible6 said ,i4 ,i couldn't live here through the summer4 ,i manage to live6 ,there was a tone in my father's voice1 as he uttered these simple words1 partly to himself1 that rebuked me4 ,yes1 he did manage to live1 but how8 ,witness his pale face1 wasted form1 subdued aspect1 brooding silence1 and habitual abstraction of mind6 ,i manage to live6 ,i hear the rebuking words even now--the tones in which they were uttered are in my ears4 ,dear father6 ,kind1 tender1 indulgent1 long-suffering1 self-denying6 ,ah1 how little were you understood by your thoughtless1 selfish children6 ,let my sisters and mother go1 said ,i1 a new regard for my father springing up in my heart2 ,i will remain at home with you4 ,thank you1 dear child6 he answered1 his voice suddenly veiled with feeling4 ,but ,i cannot afford to let any one go this season4 ,the girls will be terribly disappointed4 ,they have set their hearts on going1 said ,i4 ,i'm sorry1 he said4 ,but necessity knows no law4 ,they will have to make themselves as contented at home as possible4 ,and he left me1 and went away to his all-exacting business4 ,when ,i stated what he had said1 my sisters were in a transport of mingled anger and disappointment1 and gave utterance to many unkind remarks against our good1 indulgent father4 ,as for my oldest sister1 she declared that she would go in spite of him1 and proposed our visiting the store of a well-known merchant1 where we often made purchases1 and buying all we wanted1 leaving directions to have the bill sent in4 ,but ,i was now on my father's side1 and resolutely opposed all suggestions of disobedience4 ,his manner and words had touched me1 causing some scales to drop from my vision1 so that ,i could see in a new light1 and perceive things in a new aspect4 ,we waited past the usual time for my father's coming on that day1 and then dined without him4 ,a good deal to our surprise he came home about four o'clock1 entering with an unusual quiet manner1 and going up to his own room without speaking to any one of the family4 ,was that your father8 ,we were sitting together1 still discussing the question of ,saratoga and ,newport4 ,it was my mother who asked the question4 ,we had heard the street door open and close1 and had also heard footsteps along the passage and up the stairs4 ,it is too early for him to come home1 ,i answered4 ,my mother looked at her watch1 and remarked1 as a shade of concern flitted over her face1 ,it certainly was your father4 ,i cannot be mistaken in his step4 ,what can have brought him home so early8 ,i hope he is not sick4 ,and she arose and went hastily from the room4 ,i followed1 for a sudden fear came into my heart4 ,edward6 what ails you8 ,are you sick8 ,i heard my mother ask1 in an alarmed voice1 as ,i came into her room4 ,my father had laid himself across the bed1 and his face was concealed by a pillow1 into which it was buried deeply4 ,edward6 ,edward6 ,husband6 ,what is the matter8 ,are you ill8 ,oh1 father6 dear father6 ,i cried1 adding my voice to my mother's1 and bursting into tears4 ,i grasped his hand2 it was very cold4 ,i leaned over1 and1 pressing down the pillow1 touched his face4 ,it was cold also1 and clammy with perspiration4 ,send ,james for the doctor1 instantly1 said my mother4 ,no1 no--don't4 ,my father partially aroused himself at this1 speaking in a thick1 unnatural voice4 ,go6 ,my mother repeated the injunction1 and ,i flew down stairs with the order for ,james1 our waiter1 to go in all haste for the family physician4 ,when ,i returned1 my mother1 her face wet with tears1 was endeavoring to remove some of my father's outer garments4 ,together we took off his coat1 waistcoat and boots1 he making no resistance1 and appearing to be in partial stupor1 as if under the influence of some drug4 ,we chafed his hands and feet1 and bathed his face1 that wore a deathly aspect1 and used all the means in our power to rekindle the failing spark of life4 ,but he seemed to grow less and less conscious of external things every moment4 ,when the physician came1 he had many questions to ask as to the cause of the state in which he found my father4 ,but we could answer none of them4 ,i watched his face intently1 noting every varying expression1 but saw nothing to inspire confidence4 ,he seemed both troubled and perplexed4 ,almost his first act was to bleed copiously4 ,twice1 before the physician came1 had my father been inquired for at the door1 a thing altogether unusual at that hour of the day4 ,indeed1 his presence in the house at that hour was something which had not occurred within a year4 ,a gentleman is in the parlor1 and says that he must see ,mr4 ,w----1 said the waiter1 speaking to me in a whisper1 soon after the physician's arrival4 ,did you tell him that father was very ill1 said ,i4 ,yes2 but he says that he must see him1 sick or well4 ,go down and tell him that father is not in a state to be seen by any one4 ,the waiter returned in a few moments1 and beckoned me to the chamber door4 ,the man says that he is not going to leave the house until he sees your father4 ,i wish you would go down to him4 ,he acts so strangely4 ,without stopping to reflect1 ,i left the apartment1 and hurried down to the parlor4 ,i found a man walking the floor in a very excited manner4 ,i wish to see ,mr4 ,w4----1 said he1 abruptly1 and in an imperative way4 ,he is very ill1 sir1 ,i replied1 and cannot be seen4 ,i must see him1 sick or well4 ,his manner was excited4 ,impossible1 sir4 ,the door bell rang again at this moment1 and with some violence4 ,i paused1 and stood listening until the servant answered the summons1 while the man strode twice the full length of the parlor4 ,i wish to see ,mr4 ,w----4 ,it was the voice of a man4 ,he is sick1 the servant replied4 ,give him my name--,mr4 ,walton--and say that ,i must see him for just a moment4 ,and this new visitor came in past the waiter1 and entered the parlor4 ,mr4 ,arnold6 he ejaculated1 in evident surprise4 ,humph6 ,this a nice business6 remarked the first visitor1 in a rude way1 entirely indifferent to my presence or feelings4 ,a nice business1 ,i must confess6 ,have you seen ,mr4 ,w4----8 was inquired4 ,no4 ,they say he's sick4 ,there was an unconcealed doubt in the voice that uttered this4 ,gentlemen1 said ,i1 stung into indignant courage1 this is an outrage6 ,what do you mean by it8 ,we wish to see your father1 said the last comer1 his manner changing1 and his voice respectful4 ,you have both been told1 was my firm reply1 that my father is too ill to be seen4 ,it isn't an hour1 as ,i am told1 since he left his store1 said the first visitor1 and ,i hardly think his illness has progressed so rapidly up to this time as to make an interview dangerous4 ,we do not wish to be rude or uncourteous1 ,miss ,w----1 but our business with your father is imperative1 and we must see him4 ,i1 for one1 do not intend leaving the house until ,i meet him face to face6 ,will you walk up stairs8 ,i had the presence of mind and decision to say1 and ,i moved from the parlor into the passage4 ,the men followed1 and ,i led them up to the chamber where our distressed family were gathered around my father4 ,as we entered the hushed apartment the men pressed forward somewhat eagerly1 but their steps were suddenly arrested4 ,the sight was one to make its own impression4 ,my father's face1 deathly in its hue1 was turned towards the door1 and from his bared arm a stream of dark blood was flowing sluggishly4 ,the physician had just opened a vein4 ,come6 ,this is no place for us1 ,i heard one of the men whisper to the other1 and they withdrew as unceremoniously as they had entered4 ,scarcely had they gone ere the loud ringing of the door bell sounded through the house again4 ,what does all this mean6 whispered my distressed mother4 ,i cannot tell4 ,something is wrong1 was all that ,i could answer2 and a vague1 terrible fear took possession of my heart4 ,in the midst of our confusion1 uncertainty and distress1 my uncle1 the only relative of my mother1 arrived1 and from him we learned the crushing fact that my father's paper had been that day dishonored at bank4 ,in other words1 that he had failed in business4 ,the blow1 long suspended over his head2 and as ,i afterwards learned1 long dreaded1 and long averted by the most desperate expedients to save himself from ruin1 when it did fall1 was too heavy for him4 ,it crushed the life out of his enfeebled system4 ,that fearful night he died6 ,it is not my purpose to draw towards the survivors any sympathy1 by picturing the changes in their fortunes and modes of life that followed this sad event4 ,they have all endured much and suffered much4 ,but how light has it been to what my father must have endured and suffered in his long struggle to sustain the thoughtless extravagance of his family--to supply them with comforts and luxuries1 none of which he could himself enjoy6 ,ever before me is the image of his gradually wasting form1 and pale1 sober1 anxious face4 ,his voice1 always mild1 now comes to my ears1 in memory1 burdened with a most touching sadness4 ,what could we have been thinking about8 ,oh1 youth6 how blindly selfish thou art6 ,how unjust in thy thoughtlessness6 ,what would ,i not give to have my father back again6 ,this daily toil for bread1 those hours of labor1 prolonged often far into the night season--how cheerful would ,i be if they ministered to my father's comfort4 ,ah6 if we had been loving and just to him1 we might have had him still4 ,but we were neither loving nor just4 ,while he gathered with hard toil1 we scattered4 ,daily we saw him go forth hurried to his business1 and nightly we saw him come home exhausted2 and we never put forth a hand to lighten his burdens2 but1 to gratify our idle and vain pleasures1 laid new ones upon his stooping shoulders1 until1 at last1 the cruel weight crushed him to the earth6 ,my father6 ,oh1 my father6 ,if grief and tearful repentance could have restored you to our broken circle1 long since you would have returned to us4 ,but tears and repentance are vain4 ,the rest and peace of eternity is yours6 ,,xii4 ,,the ,,christian ,,gentleman4 ,,it has been said that no man can be a gentleman who is not a ,christian4 ,we take the converse of this proposition1 and say that no man can be a ,christian who is not a gentleman4 ,there is something of a stir among the dry bones at this4 ,a few eyes look at it in a rebuking way4 ,show me that in the ,bible1 says one in confident negation of our proposition4 ,ah1 well1 friend1 we will take your case in illustration of our theme4 ,you call yourself a ,christian8 ,by ,god's mercy ,i do4 ,answered with an assured manner1 as if in no doubt as to your being a worthy bearer of that name4 ,you seem to question my state of acceptance4 ,who made you a judge8 ,softly1 friend4 ,we do not like that gleam in your eyes4 ,perhaps we had better stop here4 ,if you cannot bear the probe1 let us put on the bandage again4 ,i am not afraid of the probe1 sir4 ,go on4 ,the name ,christian includes all human perfection1 does it not8 ,yes1 and all ,god-like perfection in the human soul4 ,so we understand it4 ,now the fundamental doctrine of ,christian life is this3--,as ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so to them4 ,faith in ,christ is fundamental1 you answer4 ,unless we believe in ,god1 we cannot obey his precepts4 ,the understanding must first assent1 before the divine life can be brought into a conformity with divine laws4 ,but we are not assuming theologic ground4 ,it is the life to which we are looking4 ,we said ,the fundamental doctrine of ,christian life4 ,all doctrine has relation to life1 and ,i contend for faith as fundamental4 ,we won't argue that point1 for the reason that it would lead us away from the theme we are considering4 ,we simply change the form of our proposition1 and call it a leading doctrine of ,christian life4 ,so far ,i agree with you4 ,then the way before us is unobstructed again4 ,you asked us to show you authority in the ,bible for saying that a man cannot be a ,christian who is not a gentlemen4 ,we point you to the ,golden ,rule4 ,in that all laws of etiquette1 so called1 are included4 ,it is the code of good breeding condensed to an axiom4 ,now it has so happened that our observation of you1 friend objector1 has been closer than may have been imagined4 ,we have noted your outgoings and incomings on divers occasions2 and we are sorry to say that you cannot be classed with the true gentleman4 ,sir6 ,gently6 ,gently6 ,if a man may be a ,christian1 and not a gentleman at the same time1 your case is not so bad4 ,but to the testimony of fact4 ,let these witness for or against you4 ,let your own deeds approve or condemn4 ,you are not afraid of judgment by the standard of your own conduct8 ,of course not4 ,and if we educe only well-remembered incidents1 no offence will be taken4 ,certainly not4 ,we go back1 then1 and repeat the law of true gentlemanly conduct4 ,as ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so to them4 ,you were at ,stockbridge last summer8 ,yes4 ,and took supper at the hotel there1 with a small company of strangers8 ,yes4 ,there was a dish of fine strawberries on the table1 among the first of the season4 ,you are fond of strawberries4 ,they are your favorite fruit2 and1 as their rich fragrance came to your nostrils1 you felt eager to taste them4 ,so you counted the guests at the table1 and measured the dish of strawberries with your eyes4 ,then you looked from face to face1 and saw that all were strangers4 ,appetite might be indulged1 and no one would know that it was you4 ,the strawberries would certainly not go round1 ,so you hurried down a cup of tea1 and swallowed some toast quickly4 ,then you said to the waiter1 ,bring me the strawberries4 ,they were brought and set before you4 ,and now1 were you simply just in securing your share1 if the number fell below a dozen berries8 ,you were taking care of yourself2 but in doing so1 were not others' rights invaded4 ,we shall see4 ,there were eight persons at the table1 two of them children4 ,the dish held but little over a quart2 of these nearly one-third were taken by you6 ,would a true gentleman have done that8 ,you haven't thought of it since6 ,we are sorry for you then4 ,one of the children1 who only got six berries1 cried through half the evening from disappointment4 ,and an invalid1 whose blood would have gained life from the rich juice of the fruit1 got none4 ,it was a little selfish1 ,i admit4 ,but ,i am so fond of strawberries2 and at hotels1 you know1 every one must take care of himself4 ,a true gentleman maintains his character under all circumstances1 and a ,christian1 as a matter of course4 ,a true gentleman defers to others4 ,he takes so much pleasure in the enjoyment of others1 that he denies himself in order to secure their gratification4 ,can a ,christian do less and honor the name he bears8 ,it wasn't right1 ,i see4 ,was it gentlemanly8 ,no4 ,christian8 ,perhaps not1 strictly speaking4 ,in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity still1 we fear1 for all your profession4 ,christianity1 as a system1 must go deeper down into the heart than that4 ,but we have begun with you1 friend1 and we will keep on4 ,perhaps you will see yourself a little differently by the time we are through4 ,a poor mechanic1 who had done some trifling work at your house1 called1 recently1 with his little bill of three dollars and forty cents4 ,you were talking with a customer1 when this man came into your store and handed you his small account4 ,you opened it with a slight frown on your brow4 ,he had happened to come at a time when you felt yourself too much engaged to heed this trifling matter4 ,how almost rudely you thrust the coarse1 soiled piece of paper on which he had written his account back upon him1 saying1 ,i can't attend to you now6 ,the poor man went out hurt and disappointed4 ,was that gentlemanly conduct8 ,no1 sir6 ,was it ,christian8 ,look at the formula of ,christian life4 ,as ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so to them4 ,he should have waited until ,i was at leisure1 you answer4 ,when a man is engaged with a customer who buys at the rate of hundreds and thousands1 he don't want paltry bills thrust into his face4 ,he'll know better next time4 ,have you settled the bill yet8 ,no4 ,he called day before yesterday1 but couldn't give change for ten dollars4 ,why haven't you sent him the trifling sum8 ,he worked over half a day at your house1 and your family have been more comfortable for what he did there ever since4 ,he needs the money1 for he is a poor man4 ,you half smile in our face at the suggestion1 and say1 ,merchants are not in the habit of troubling themselves to send all over the city to pay the little paltry bills of mechanics4 ,if money is worth having1 it is worth sending or calling for4 ,in thought1 reverse your positions1 and apply the rule for a ,christian gentleman2 remembering1 at the same time1 that ,god is no respecter of persons4 ,in his eyes1 the man's position is nothing--the quality of his life1 everything4 ,a gentleman in form1 according to the rules of good breeding1 is one who treats everybody with kindness2 who thinks of others' needs1 pleasures and conveniences2 and subordinates his own needs1 pleasures and conveniences to theirs4 ,he is mild1 gentle1 kind and courteous to all4 ,a gentleman in feeling does all this from a principle of good-will2 the ,christian from a law of spiritual life4 ,now1 a man may be a gentleman1 in the common acceptation of the term1 and yet not be a ,christian2 but we are very sure1 that he cannot wave the gentleman and be a ,christian4 ,you look at us more soberly4 ,the truth of our words is taking hold of conviction4 ,shall we go on8 ,do you not1 in all public places1 study your own comfort and convenience8 ,you do not clearly understand the question6 ,we'll make the matter plainer then3 ,last evening you were at ,concert ,hall1 with your wife and daughter4 ,you went early1 and secured good seats4 ,not three seats1 simply1 according to the needs of your party2 but nearly five seats1 for extra comfort4 ,you managed it on the expansive principle4 ,well1 the house was crowded4 ,compression and condensation went on all around you2 but your party held its expanded position4 ,a white-haired old man stood at the head of your seat1 and looked down at the spaces between yourself1 your wife and daughter2 and though you knew it1 you kept your eyes another way until he passed on4 ,you were not going to be incommoded for any one4 ,then an old lady lingered there for a moment1 and looked wistfully along the seat4 ,your daughter whispered1 ,father1 we can make room for her4 ,and you answered3 ,let her find another seat2 ,i don't wish to be crowded4 ,thus repressing good impulses in your child1 and teaching her to be selfish and unlady-like4 ,the evening's entertainment began1 and you sat quite at ease1 for an hour and a half1 while many were standing in the aisles4 ,sir1 there was not even the gentleman in form here2 much less the gentleman from naturally kind feelings4 ,as to ,christian principle1 we will not take that into account4 ,do you remember what you said as you moved through the aisles to the door8 ,no4 ,a friend remarked that he had been obliged to stand all the evening1 and you replied3 ,we had it comfortable enough4 ,i always manage that1 in public places4 ,he didn't understand all you meant2 but1 there is ,one who did4 ,how was it in the same place only a few nights previously8 ,you went there alone1 and happened to be late4 ,the house was well filled in the upper portion1 but thinly occupied below the centre4 ,now you are bound to have the best place1 under all circumstances1 if it can be obtained4 ,but all the best seats were well filled2 and to crowd more into them1 would be to diminish the comfort of all4 ,no matter4 ,you saw a little space in one of the desirable seats1 and into it you passed1 against the remonstrance of looks1 and even half uttered objections4 ,a lady by your side1 not in good health1 was so crowded in consequence1 and made so uncomfortable1 that she could not listen with any satisfaction to the eloquent lecture she had come to hear4 ,we need say no more about your gentlemanly conduct in public places4 ,enough has been suggested to give you our full meaning4 ,shall we go on8 ,do you call for other incidents in proof of our assumption8 ,shall we follow you into other walks of life8 ,no4 ,very well4 ,and1 now1 to press the matter home3 ,do you1 in the sight of that precept we have quoted1 justify such conduct in a man who takes the name of ,christian8 ,it was not gentlemanly1 in any right sense of the word2 and not being so1 can it be ,christian8 ,perhaps not4 ,assuredly not4 ,and you may depend upon it1 sir1 that your profession1 and faith1 and church-going1 and ordinance-observing1 will not stand you in that day when the book of your life is opened in the presence of ,god4 ,if there has been no genuine love of the neighbor--no self-abnegation--no self-denial for the good of others1 all the rest will go for nothing1 and you will pass over to abide forever with spirits of a like quality with your own4 ,who made us your judge8 ,we judge no man6 ,but only point to the law of ,christian life as given by ,god himself4 ,if you wish to dwell with him1 you must obey his laws2 and obedience to these will make you nothing less than a ,christian gentleman--that is1 a gentleman in heart as well as in appearance4